Patent Abstract:
A supporting mount mounts a device to a post and is removably fixed to the post without being fastened thereto by any penetrating fastener. A front panel is at the front post face and has the device fixed thereto. A pair of opposing side panels are at respective side post faces. Each side panel has a lower lateral edge connecting to the front panel and an opposing upper lateral edge. A connecting element at the back post face interconnects the upper lateral edges of the side panels. A top edge of the front panel is vertically lower than a top portion of the connecting element. The mount pivots into frictional contact with the back post face at the top portion of the connecting element and with the front post face at a bottom portion of the front panel.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention is directed to a supporting mount that is employed to attach a device to a generally vertical columnar structure such as a vertical post, where the mount is removably fixable to the post or the like. More particularly, the present invention is directed to such a mount that is fixed to the post or other structure without the use of any screws or other fasteners that would be required to penetrate the post or other structure. Accordingly, the post or other structure is not marred by the supporting mount, at least by the use of such fasteners, and the supporting mount can be fixed to and removed from the post or other structure with relative ease. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In the setting of a home or a commercial facility such as an office building or hotel, for example, and particularly in the exterior of such a setting, it may be the case that a person may wish to put up or otherwise erect a device that is intended to be displayed from or mounted to a generally vertical surface. Such a device can for example be a flag hanging from a flag staff or a bird feeder hanging from an ornamental hook, among other things. While one such vertical surface from which the device can be displayed or mounted may be the side of an exterior wall, it is to be appreciated that in at least some circumstances such an exterior wall is not available, or is considered to be disadvantageous or inadvisable for whatever reason. 
         [0003]    In such a case, then, or as an alternative, it may be that another vertical surface from which the device can be displayed or mounted is a generally vertical columnar structure such as a wood post. As may be understood, such a post may be found in many exterior settings, either mounted alone or as part of another structure. For example, in the case of a home, it may be that such home has an exterior deck or patio or the like that includes a railing, and the railing is constructed to include such posts. Similarly, in the case of a park, it may be that such park has a nature trail with a fence, and the fence is constructed to include such posts. 
         [0004]    Typically, the device is displayed from or mounted to the post by way of a bracket or the like that is designed to hold the device and that is also designed to be securely affixed to the post. For example, a flag hanging from a flag staff may be displayed from such a post by way of a bracket that is designed to receive the flag staff and that is affixed to the post by way of a number of screws or the like that penetrate and extend into the post. Similarly, a bird feeder hanging from an ornamental hook may be mounted to such a post by way of the ornamental hook that is also affixed to the post by way of a number of screws or the like that penetrate and extend into the post. 
         [0005]    However, it may be that penetrating into the post with screws or the like is undesirable. For example, such penetration into a wood or a metal post allows water to access the interior of such post, thus hastening the post to rot if wood or to rust if iron or steel. Most notably, though it is oftentimes now the case that the post if wood is covered with a vinyl or PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) sheathing, and thus penetrating into the post of necessity includes penetrating through the covering. Such penetration of the covering is not particularly egregious if the device is being permanently installed to the post. However, if the device is being installed to the post on a temporary basis only, such penetration of the covering results in the covering being marred with apertures that are likely on prominent display once the device is removed from the post. Moreover, and regardless of whether the device is installed to the post on a temporary or a permanent basis, such penetration of the covering allows water to access the interior of such post and cause rot or rust or the like. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, a need exists for a supporting mount that is employed to attach a device to a generally vertical columnar structure such as a vertical post, where the mount is removably fixable to the post or the like. More particularly, a need exists for such a mount that is fixed to the post without the use of any screws or other fasteners that would be required to penetrate the post or any covering on the post. Accordingly, the post is not marred by the supporting mount, at least by the use of such fasteners, and the supporting mount can be fixed to and removed from the post or other structure with relative ease. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The aforementioned needs are satisfied at least in part by the present invention in which a supporting mount is provided to mount a device to a generally vertical post having generally vertical front and back faces and a pair of generally vertical opposing side faces extending between the front and back faces. The mount is removably fixed to the post without being fastened to the post by any fastener that would penetrate into the post. 
         [0008]    A front panel is positioned at the front face of the post, has a pair of opposing lateral edges, a top edge, and a bottom portion with respect to the post, and has the device fixed thereto. A pair of opposing side panels are positioned at respective side faces of the post. Each side panel has a lower lateral edge that faces toward and connects to a respective lateral edge of the front panel and an upper lateral edge that faces away from the front panel. The lower lateral edge on each side panel is vertically positioned with respect to the post to be relatively lower and the upper lateral edge on each side panel is vertically positioned with respect to the post to be relatively higher. The side panels are bilaterally arranged to mirror each other with respect to the post. 
         [0009]    A connecting element positioned at the back face of the post interconnects the side panels at about the upper lateral edges thereof, and has a top portion with respect to the post. The front panel, side panels, and connecting element surround the post, and the top edge of the front panel is vertically arranged with respect to the post to be lower than the top portion of the connecting element. The device as fixed to the mount causes same to pivot into a frictional contact with the back face of the post at the top portion of the connecting element and with the front face at the bottom portion of the front panel. The frictional contact of the mount at the front and back faces of the post resists gravity and prevents the mount with the device from sliding down the post even though the mount is not fastened to the post by any fastener that would penetrate into the post. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. As should be understood, however, the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a railing such as may be employed on a deck or patio, where the railing includes a generally vertical columnar structure such as a post, and where a supporting mount is removably fixed to the post and is employed to attach a device to the post in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cut-away side view of the post and supporting mount taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a close-up view of the supporting mount as shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the supporting mount of  FIGS. 1-3 ; and. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view akin to that of  FIG. 4  and shows a supporting mount in an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Typical Environment 
       [0016]    The supporting mount of the present invention may be employed in any appropriate setting or environment, although as noted above the supporting mount is particularly useful in an environment where a person wishes to put up or otherwise erect or install a device that is intended to be displayed from or mounted to a generally vertical surface. Such a device may be any appropriate device without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the device may be a flag hanging from a flag staff or a bird feeder hanging from an ornamental hook, as was noted above, or could be a candle or lamp, a shelf, a fan, a shade, or an umbrella, among other things, each with an appropriate attaching device. 
         [0017]    In one particular environment, and turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the device  10  is mounted to a post  12 , where the post  12  is part of and/or supports a railing  14 , such as for example a railing  14  of an exterior deck or patio of a home. Of course, the post  12  may also appear at any other appropriate setting without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the post  12  may be part of a fence in a park or at a beach, or may be the support for a structure such as a building, or may be employed to elevate an element such as a bird feeder or a weather data gathering device such as an anemometer or a wind sock. As should be understood from the drawings, the post  12  is generally expected to be a square or rectangular post in horizontal cross-section, such as a 4 by 4, 4 by 6, or 6 by 6 post, although round or oval posts  12  and posts of other sizes may also be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0018]    Typically, and as best seen in  FIG. 2 , the device  10  includes a mounting bracket  16  by which the device  10  can be installed to a generally vertical surface such as the post  12 . For example, in the case of the device  10  being a flag hanging from a flag staff such as is shown in  FIG. 2 , the corresponding bracket  16  is a receiver that receives the distal end of the flag staff and that is affixed to the a vertical surface by way of a number of screws or the like (not shown). Similarly, in the case of a device  10  being a bird feeder or the like hanging from an ornamental hook (not shown), the ornamental hook may itself be affixed to the vertical surface by way of a number of screws or the like (not shown). 
         [0019]    However, and as was set forth above, penetrating into the post  12  with screws or the like may be undesirable. For one thing, such penetration into a wood or a metal post  12  allows water to access the interior of such post  12 , thus hastening the post  12  to rot if wood or to rust if iron or steel. For another thing, if the post  12  is covered with a decorative covering or with a covering such as vinyl or PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) sheathing, penetrating into the post  12  of necessity includes penetrating through the covering. Particularly when the device  10  and associated mounting bracket  16  are removed, then, the apertures in the covering that result from the penetration therethrough are on display and tend to mar the appearance of the post  12 . 
         [0020]    Note here that  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the previous discussion in connection therewith are intended to provide a brief general description of a typical environment in which the present invention may be implemented. It should be understood, however, that the present invention may also be implemented in other similar environments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
       Supporting Mount 
       [0021]    In one embodiment of the present invention, to mount the device  10  to the post  12 , a supporting mount  18  such as that shown in  FIGS. 1-4  is employed. As may be appreciated, with such supporting mount  18 , the device  10  is not attached to the post  12  but is instead attached by way of a corresponding mounting bracket  16  or the like to the mount  18 , and the mount  18  is removably fixed to the post  12 . Note, though that the use of such a mounting bracket is not a requirement of the present invention. Significantly, and as will be set forth in more detail below, the mount  18  is removably fixed to the post  12  in such a manner as to avoid marring the appearance of the post  12  by way of penetrating fasteners or the like. 
         [0022]    As best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , and in one embodiment of the present invention, the supporting mount  18  is constructed to include a front panel  20 , a back panel  22 , and a pair of opposing side panels  24 . Generally, and as shown, the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  are joined to surround the post  12 , as is shown in  FIG. 3 . Presumably, the supporting mount  18  must be formed around the post  12  and cannot be passed over the top of such post  12 , especially if the post  12  is capped on top or is especially tall. As may be appreciated, the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  are dimensioned so as to accommodate the post  12  within the supporting mount, although as will be set forth in more detail below the post  12  is not intended to be gripped by the supporting mount  18  in the manner of an interference fit, especially inasmuch as such an interference fit may tend to mar the appearance of the post  12 , and at any rate may cause excessive difficulty when fixing the mount  18  to the post  12 . 
         [0023]    Notably, and as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , each of the front and back panels  20 ,  22  is generally rectangular and has a pair of opposing lateral or side edges  26 , and each of the side panels  24  is generally trapezoidal and has a lower lateral edge  28 L that faces toward the front panel  20  and an upper lateral edge  38 U that faces toward the back panel  22 . As joined to form the supporting mount  18 , then, each lateral edge  26  of the front panel  20  is attached to a respective lower lateral edge  28 L of the opposing side panels  24 , and each lateral edge  26  of the back panel  22  is attached to a respective upper lateral edge  28 U of the opposing side panels  24 . As a result, and as seen, the side panels  24  of the supporting mount  18  are bilaterally arranged to mirror each other with respect to the post  12 , and the front panel  20  is vertically arranged with respect to the post  12  to be significantly lower on the post  12  as compared with the back panel  22 . 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 3  (but removed for purposes of clarity in  FIG. 4 ), the mounting bracket  16  or the like of the device  10  is attached to the front panel  20  of the supporting mount  18 . Accordingly, when the supporting mount  18  is fixed to the post  12 , and presuming that the supporting mount  18  is only loosely fitted to the post  12 , the weight of the mounting bracket  16  or the like and of the device  10  is applied to the supporting mount  18  as a force that effectively causes the supporting mount  18  to pivot into contact with the post  12 . As may be appreciated, such pivoting in particular causes the top portion  30  of the back panel  22  and the bottom portion  32  of the front panel  20  to contact the post  12  at respective faces thereof. As may be appreciated, such contact at both locations is a frictional contact with a pressure that increases as the distance D ( FIG. 3 ) between the aforementioned top portion  30  of the back panel  22  and bottom portion  32  of the front panel  20  increases. Accordingly, the generally trapezoidal shape of each of the side panels  24  is employed to effectively increase the distance D, thereby increasing the contact pressure and the frictional force imparted thereby. 
         [0025]    Crucially, such increased frictional force resists gravity and prevents the supporting mount  18  from sliding down the post  12 , even though the supporting mount  18  is not secured to the post  12  by any penetrating screws or the like. Note here that the supporting mount  18  does not slide down the post  12  only if the frictional contact is significant enough. If such frictional contact is not significant enough, a friction-enhancing material such as padding or a textured surface maybe added at the points of contact that would tend to increase such frictional contact. Such material may of course be any appropriate material at any appropriate location without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, such material may be mounted at the inside of the top portion  30  of the back panel  22  and/or of the bottom portion  30  of the front panel  20 , and may be felt or fabric, among other things. 
         [0026]    As was set forth above, the distance D between the top portion  30  of the back panel  22  and the bottom portion  32  of the front panel  20  is increased by the generally trapezoidal shape of each of the side panels  24 . As seen in the drawings, such trapezoidal shape effectively vertically positions the front and back panels  20 ,  22  with respect to the post  12  so that the top edge of the front panel  20  is below the bottom edge of the back panel  22 . However, it may be appreciated that other vertical positions of the front and back panels  20 ,  22  and the respective bottom portion  32  and top portion  30  thereof may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as long as a sufficient distance D is maintained. 
         [0027]    Note that the mechanisms employed to attach the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  to each other may be any appropriate mechanisms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For one example, at least some or all of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  may be glued or epoxied together, or may be fused together by sonic or other heat welding if appropriate, or may be formed as a single unit, such as by an injection molding process, in which case such panels would be formed from a plastic or elastomeric material. 
         [0028]    For another example, appropriately sized screws may be employed to join some or all of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  to each other in a manner that should be evident to the relevant public and that therefore need not be set forth herein in any detail. Of course, such screws should not be employed to penetrate into the post  12  for the reasons set forth above, but instead each screw should pass through one of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and penetrate into another of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  as appropriate. 
         [0029]    Note that permanently or semi-permanently attaching all of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  to each other, such as for example by screws or by heat welding or gluing, may not be desirable, especially if the supporting mount  18  is to be fixed to and removed from a post  12  on a fairly regular basis. As should be appreciated, in such a case, and presuming that the supporting mount  18  must be formed around the post  12  and cannot be passed over the top of such post  12 , at least one of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  must be removed from the supporting mount  18  to remove same from the post  12 , and likewise such panel  20 ,  22 ,  24  must be inserted into the supporting mount  18  to fix same to the post  12 , and permanent or semi-permanent attachment of all of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  would prevent such removal and insertion, or at least render same to be difficult. 
         [0030]    Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present invention, one of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24 , is joined to the others by way of a mechanism that can be attached and detached with relative ease, while the remaining panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  are joined to each other by more permanent fasteners such as the aforementioned screws, glue, welding, or the like. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, one of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  is joined to the others by way of a hinge or the like at one lateral edge thereof that is also attached to the lateral edge of the adjacent panel  20 ,  22 ,  24 , and by way of a corresponding latch at the other lateral edge thereof that interacts with a catch at the lateral edge of the adjacent panel  20 ,  22 ,  24 . Thus, in such a case it may be that the back panel  20  is joined to the others by way of a hinge or the like at a first lateral edge  26  thereof that is also attached to the upper lateral edge  28 U of the corresponding side panel  24 , and by way of a corresponding latch at a second lateral edge  26  thereof that interacts with a catch at the upper lateral edge  28 U of the corresponding side panel  24 . Of course, other arrangements may also be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0031]    Bearing in mind that only the top portion  30  of the back panel  22  actually contributes to the frictional contact of such back panel  22  with the post  12 , and that the remainder of the back panel is not believed to be of any significant material purpose, and in an alternate one embodiment of the present invention, the bulk of the back panel  22  is dispensed with, as is seen in  FIG. 5 , and instead a cross-connector  34  is employed adjacent the upper lateral edges  28 U of the side panels  24  to interconnect the side panels  24  in the area of what was the top portion  30  of the back panel  22 . As may be appreciated, in such an embodiment the cross-connector  34  not only functions as the top portion  30  of the back panel but also can be removed and replaced to fix the supporting mount  18  to and remove the supporting mount  18  from the post  12 . 
         [0032]    Note that the cross-connector  34  may be formed in any appropriate manner from any appropriate material and may be connected to the reminder of the supporting mount  18  in any appropriate manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the cross-connector  34  may be a generally cylindrical length of material, such as a rod or a piece of tubing in the manner of a relatively small diameter of PVC tubing or the like, perhaps about ⅜ or ½ inch interior diameter and ⅞ or 1 inch external diameter. Such a rod or tube may be slid through apertures  36  ( FIG. 5 ) in the side panels  24  adjacent the upper lateral edges  28 U thereof to interconnect the side panels  24  in the area of what was the top portion  30  of the back panel  22 , as is shown in  FIG. 5 . In addition, and as shown, caps  38  may be positioned at the external sides of the side panels  24  and over either end of the cross-connector  34  in situ in order to assist in holding the cross-connector  34  in place, with at least one of the caps  38  being removable. 
         [0033]    Note, too, that with such a cross-connector  34 , and as shown in  FIG. 5 , the side panels  24  need not necessarily be generally trapezoidally shaped. Instead, and as seen, each side panel  24  can have a bottom edge  40  that extends generally from the bottom of the lower lateral edge  28 L to the bottom of a reduced upper lateral edge  28 U in the region of the cross-connector  34  and at what was the top portion  30  of the back panel  24 . Of course, the upper lateral edge  28 U of each side panel  24  should extend back somewhat further in the region of the cross-connector  34  so as to provide enough material to define the apertures  36 . Although not shown in  FIG. 5 , the side panels  24  can be decoratively shaped with curves and the like to be more aesthetically pleasing. Notably, the upper lateral edges  28 U of each side panel  24  may be rounded to remove at least some of the sharper edges and/or junctions that could otherwise be considered to be a safety hazard. 
         [0034]    Regardless of whether the side panels  24  are trapezoidally shaped or otherwise, and in any embodiment of the present invention, the top edge of the front panel  20  is below the contacting top portion  30  of the back panel  22 /cross-connector  34  so that a sufficient distance D is maintained between such top portion  30  and the bottom portion  32  of the front panel  20 . Empirically, it has been determined that the contacting top portion  30  of the back panel  22 /cross-connector  34  should be at least about 45 degrees from horizontal with respect to the top edge of the front panel  20 . However, it may be appreciated that other angular positions of the top portion  30  and top edge may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0035]    As was alluded to above, in any embodiment of the present invention, the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  may be formed from any appropriate material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the panels  20  may be constructed from wood, steel, or a plastic or elastomeric material. Note here that a plastic or elastomeric material may be considered to be advantageous, especially if the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  are to be formed by a process such as injection molding, and/or if multiple ones of the panels  20 ,  22 ,  24  are to be formed joined together as a unitary body. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0036]    In the present invention, a supporting mount  18  is provided to attach a device  10  to a generally vertical columnar structure such as a vertical post  12 , where the mount  18  is removably fixable to the post  12 . The mount  12  is fixed to the post without the use of any screws or other fasteners that would be required to penetrate the post  12  or any covering on the post  12 . Accordingly, the post  12  is not marred by the supporting mount  18 , at least by the use of such fasteners, and the supporting mount  18  can be fixed to and removed from the post  12  with relative ease. 
         [0037]    It should be appreciated that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the inventive concepts thereof. It should be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6