Abstract:
A wall anchor employing adhesives or other settable materials to strengthen the wall anchor, facilitating ease of use as well as extreme holding power. A method to attach a wall anchor to a panel, a method to remove a wall anchor from a panel, and a removal tool is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to, and is a non-provisional of U.S. 61/314,947, filed Mar. 17, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Wall anchors are used to attach items to wall panels. Types of wall anchors range from a nail to a toggle bolt to molly bolts, to threaded drywall anchors. 
     While useful in many situations, each type has limitations which must be observed or failure may result. Most wall anchors fail when they are unable to maintain their grip on the wall material. They may be strong enough initially, but lose their hold after a period of time. 
     Failure may also occur depending upon the force placed on the wall anchor. Some wall anchors may work well if the force applied to them is in a downward direction (shear force), but fail if the force is applied outward (tension force). 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,341 discloses a self fusing fastener said to contain an adhesive. Additional background information on wall anchors is disclosed in “Using Wall Anchors Including Molly and Toggle Bolts, Plastic Anchors, Expansion Anchors and More,” from the Natural Handyman Home Repair and Do It Yourself Website, available at http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/infanchor/infanchor.html, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     SUMMARY 
     Certain embodiments relate to a wall anchor, a method of installing a wall anchor, a wall anchor installation system and tool, a wall anchor removal tool and method, and other concepts related to wall anchors. 
     Certain embodiments relate to a system of wall anchors employing adhesives or other settable materials to strengthen the wall anchor, facilitating ease of use as well as extreme holding power. 
     In an embodiment, a wall anchor, comprises a head section comprising an external face separated from an internal face by a length along a central axis; an outer surface having an infinite number of sides radially disposed about the central axis; an access passage disposed through the head section along the central axis; an inflatable bladder attached to the internal face of the head section, the inflatable bladder being in fluid communication with an external environment through the access passage; wherein the head section is capable of being inserted into a hole disposed in a panel such that the external face of the wall anchor is capable of being in contact with an anterior surface of the panel; and wherein the inflatable bladder is dimensioned and arranged such that when a settable fluid is infused through the access passage into the inflatable bladder, the inflatable bladder expands such that the settable fluid, the inflatable bladder, or both are placed in contact with both the wall anchor and a posterior surface of the panel. 
     In an embodiment, a method to attach a wall anchor to a panel comprises the steps of: forming a hole in a panel; inserting a wall anchor into the hole, wherein the wall anchor comprises a head section comprising an external face separated from an internal face by a length along a central axis; an outer surface having an infinite number of sides radially disposed about the central axis; an access passage disposed through the head section along the central axis; an inflatable bladder attached to the internal face of the head section, the inflatable bladder being in fluid communication with an external environment through the access passage; contacting the external face of the wall anchor with an anterior surface of the panel; infusing a settable fluid through the access passage in an amount sufficient to at least partially expand the inflatable bladder such that the settable fluid, the inflatable bladder, or both are placed in contact with both the wall anchor and a posterior surface of the panel. 
     In an embodiment, a removal tool for removing the wall anchor according to the instant disclosure comprises a main shaft comprising a hole saw positioned radially around the main shaft at a first end, the hole saw having an inner diameter equal to or greater than an outer diameter of the external face of the wall anchor; a pilot rod extending along the axis of the main shaft beyond a face of the hole saw, the pilot rod being dimensioned to frictionally engage the access passage in the wall anchor. 
     In an embodiment, a method to remove a wall anchor engaged with a panel comprises the steps of rotating the removal tool disclosed herein while guiding the pilot rod into an access passage of a wall anchor such that the hole saw engages and cuts a hole in the panel circumscribing the wall anchor; followed by removing the removal tool from the hole along with the wall anchor. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages disclosed herein in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding. and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a wall anchor according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the wall anchor of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the wall anchor of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the wall anchor of  FIG. 1  with the inflatable bladder in an expanded position; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the wall anchor of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic illustration showing an embodiment of a wall anchor engaged within a hole disposed through a panel; 
         FIG. 7  shows an embodiment of the wall anchor engaged with a panel; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of an embodiment of the wall anchor infused with a settable fluid such that the inflatable bladder is partially expanded and in contact with the wall anchor and an interior side of the panel; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of an embodiment of the wall anchor infused with a settable fluid such that the inflatable bladder is at least partially ruptured and the settable fluid is in contact with the wall anchor and an interior side of the panel. 
         FIG. 10  shows an embodiment in expanded view including a plug; 
         FIG. 11  shows an embodiment of a side expanded view of a wall anchor and a plug; 
         FIG. 12  shows a top view of an embodiment of a removal tool; 
         FIG. 13  shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of a removal tool; 
         FIG. 14  shows a beginning step in an embodiment of a wall anchor removal process; 
         FIG. 15  shows a step in an embodiment of a wall anchor removal process; and 
         FIG. 16  shows a step in an embodiment of a wall anchor removal process with the wall anchor removed from the panel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of the instant disclosure. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles disclosed herein, since the scope of the disclosure is best defined by the appended claims. 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the instant disclosure. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the disclosure may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known devices have not been shown in order not to obscure the subject matter in unnecessary detail. For the most part, details unnecessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present disclosure have been omitted in as much as such details are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
     Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views. 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a wall anchor  10  according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, wall anchor  10  comprises a head section  12  comprising an external face  14  separated from an internal face  16  by a length  18  along a central axis  20 . In an embodiment, head section  12  comprises an outer surface  22  having an infinite number of sides radially disposed about central axis  20  (i.e., a circular cross section taken perpendicular to central axis  20 ). In an embodiment, wall anchor  10  further includes an access passage  24  disposed through head section  12  along central axis  20 . In an embodiment, wall anchor  10  further includes an inflatable bladder  26  attached to internal face  16  of head section  12 . In an embodiment, inflatable bladder  26  is in fluid communication with an external environment  28  through access passage  20 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , inflatable bladder  26  may be in a collapsed configuration.  FIGS. 4 and 5  show an embodiment wherein inflatable bladder  26  is in an expanded or an inflated configuration. 
     In an embodiment, wall anchor  10  is dimensioned and arranged such that head section  12  is capable of being inserted into a hole  32  disposed in a panel  30  (See  FIGS. 6 and 7 ) such that external face  14  of wall anchor  10  is capable of engaging an anterior surface  34  of panel  30  (See  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in an embodiment, inflatable bladder  26  is dimensioned and arranged such that when a settable fluid  36  is infused through access passage  24  into inflatable bladder  26 , inflatable bladder  26  at least partially expands such that settable fluid  36 , inflatable bladder  26 , or both are placed in contact with both wall anchor  10  and a posterior surface  38  of panel  30 . 
     In an embodiment, outer surface  22  of head section  12  comprises at least one external thread  40  extending outwardly away from outer surface  22 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in an embodiment, the least one external thread  40  is dimensioned and arranged such that rotation  42  of wall anchor  10  within an appropriately sized hole  32  causes external face  14  of wall anchor  10  to engage the anterior surface  34  of panel  30 . In an embodiment, the at least one external thread  40  is a self-tapping thread to form a hole in a panel. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , rotation  42  may be accomplished by inserting a drive tool (e.g., a screw driver)  44  at least partially into access passage  24 . In an embodiment, the portion of access passage  24  present on external face  14  may include slots or divots  46  to accommodate insertion of a hexagon screw key or an end of screw driver  44  or other similar driving tools known to one of minimal skill in the art. 
     In an embodiment, wall anchor  10  may further comprise one or more lateral passages  48  in fluid communication with access passage  24  and an external environment  28 . In an embodiment, lateral passage  48  may direct settable fluid  36  to be in contact with hole  32 , interior surface  38  of panel  30 , or a combination thereof. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in an embodiment, inflatable bladder  26  comprises an expandable polyolefin tube which is closed on one end  50  located opposite internal face  16 . Inflatable bladder  26  may be attached to internal face  16  by an adhesive, by ultrasonic welding, or the like. In an embodiment, inflatable bladder  26  is integral to head section  12 . In an embodiment, inflatable bladder  26  comprises an expandable tube comprising perforations  52 . 
     In an embodiment, settable fluid  36  may comprise a rigid foam precursor which forms a rigid foam upon exposure to an external environment  28 . In an embodiment, settable fluid  36  comprises an adhesive. In an embodiment, settable fluid  36  comprises a polyurethane adhesive, an epoxy resin, a polyester resin, a methacrylate resin, or a combination thereof. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , in an embodiment, access passage  24  comprises threads  54  to receive a screw or other threaded member  53 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     In an embodiment, the head section, the inflatable bladder, or a combination thereof may be produced by injection molding. In an embodiment, the head section may comprise a polyamide, polyolefin, polystyrene, or any combination thereof. In an embodiment, the head section may further include a metal insert disposed within the access passage, around the outer surface, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the head section is formed from metal, preferably an alloy. 
     Additional reinforcement is provided by the composite structure of the cured settable fluid. This arrangement thus provides for improved hanging capacity of the instant wall anchor over wall anchors known to one of skill in the art. In an embodiment, a wall anchor inserted into an appropriately sized hole in a standard type X ⅝″ drywall panel which has been infused with a polyurethane glue (e.g., Gorilla Glue, The Gorilla Glue Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) according to an embodiment disclosed herein is capable of supporting at least about 10 pounds static force, preferably at least about 50 pounds static force, preferably at least about 75 pounds static force, with at least about 100 pounds static force being more preferred. 
     In an embodiment, a method to attach a wall anchor to a panel comprises the steps of forming a hole in a panel; inserting a wall anchor into the hole, wherein the wall anchor comprises a head section comprising an external face separated from an internal face by a length along a central axis; an outer surface having an infinite number of sides radially disposed about the central axis; an access passage disposed through the head section along the central axis; an inflatable bladder attached to the internal face of the head section, the inflatable bladder being in fluid communication with an external environment through the access passage; contacting the external face of the wall anchor with an anterior surface of the panel; infusing a settable fluid through the access passage in an amount sufficient to at least partially expand the inflatable bladder such that the settable fluid, the inflatable bladder, or both are placed in contact with both the wall anchor and a posterior surface of the panel. 
     In an embodiment, a method to attach a wall anchor to a panel may further comprise the step of rotating the wall anchor within the hole in an amount sufficient to engage the external face of the wall anchor with an anterior surface of the panel; wherein the outer surface of the head section comprises at least one external thread extending outwardly away from the outer surface, wherein the at least one external thread is dimensioned and arranged such that rotation of the head section within the hole engages the external face of the wall anchor with an anterior surface of the panel. 
     In an embodiment, the at least one external thread of the wall anchor is a self-tapping thread to form a hole in a panel. Accordingly, in an embodiment, rotation of the wall anchor may produce the hole within the panel suitable to insert the wall anchor into to attach the wall anchor to the panel. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , in an embodiment, the settable fluid may be infused through access passage  24  into inflatable bladder  26  using a syringe  56  with a cannula tip or the like, wherein the tip of syringe  56  is inserted into internal passage  24  an a pressure  58  is exerted onto the plunger of syringe  56  to infuse settable fluid  36  to expand inflatable bladder  26 . In an embodiment, the tip of syringe  56  is preferably dimensioned to frictionally engage the access passage  24  to form a seal to retain the settable fluid  36  in access passage  24 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , in an embodiment, an amount of settable fluid  36  is infused into the wall anchor to form a disk-like structure  58  in contact against the interior surface  38  of panel  30 . In an embodiment, the cured settable fluid presents a larger cross-sectional contact area than is provided by external face  14  to distribute forces to a larger area of panel  30 , thereby increasing the strength of the anchor. 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the wall anchor may further include a plug  60  having a nipple  62  dimensioned to engage access passage  24 , external face  14  or a combination thereof, to cover wall anchor  10  when not in use. Plug  60  may further include an adhesive coating to adhere to external face  14  or a portion of panel  30  to cover the external face of the wall anchor. 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the wall anchor according to the instant disclosure may include a removal tool  64  comprising a main shaft  66  comprising a hole saw  68  dimensioned to have an inner diameter equal to or greater than an outer diameter of external face  14 . Removal tool  64  may further include a pilot rod  70 , oriented along a central axis of the main shaft which may be threaded, and which is dimensioned to frictionally engage access passage  24  of wall anchor  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 14 ,  15 , and  16 , in an embodiment, removal tool  64  may be rotated  76  with an electric drill (not shown) and pilot rod  70  guided into access passage  24  with a forward force  72  such that hole saw  68  cuts through panel  30 . In an embodiment, a rear-ward force  74  may then be put on removal tool  64  to remove wall anchor  10  in concert with removal tool  64  leaving a secondary hole  78  in panel  30 , which may be subsequently filled or plugged using methods known in the art to obscure the presence of the hole from vision. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to preferred embodiments and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.