Improvements in Means for Hanging or Supporting Pictures, Frames, Shelves, Brackets, or the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1996
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Hanging or Supporting Pictures, Frames,
Shelves, Brackets, or the like.
I, JEAN MARIE BOYER of 38 Rue Fontaine, Paris, France, Frame Maker
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objections of the present methods of hanging pictures in galleries or rooms are
well known. Nails driven into the wall injure the wall coverings; hanging chains
do not readily lend themselves to changes which are often necessary in the height
at which the pictures are hung. Now the primary object of my invention is to
provide means whereby a picture, can be hung or supported at the desired height
without in any way injuring the wall covering.
For the purpose of my invention I employ a flat vertical bar hung by means of
a hook or ring to a rod fixed at the upper part of the wall and on this flat bar
I place a slide having pivoted to it a hook or support the back or inner part of
which is in the form of an excentric. Consequently the weight of a picture or
other object hung from or supported by the hook or support causes the excentric
to press forcibly or jam against the vertical bar so that any displacement of the
hook or support relatively to the bar is prevented.
The means just described apply not only to hanging or supporting pictures but
also to supporting shelves, brackets or the like the height of which on their
supporting columns can thus be altered at will.
In carrying out the invention for the purpose of hanging pictures I preferably
make the vertical bar of oblong rectangular section one of the short sides being
placed next the wall. On this bar I fit a slide having jaws at front between
which a hook for suspending a picture is pivoted, this hook being of excentric
form at the back. It will readily be understood that if a picture be hung to the
hook the latter will tend to move down but owing to the excentric at the back
which bears against the vertical bar it becomes jammed against the bar.
to prevent the slide and hook slipping down when no weight or only a slight weight
is supported thereby, I employ a spring which exerts a slight pressure on the
hook and causes it to bear with sufficient pressure against the vertical bar. This
spring is fitted without any rivetting; it has a heel of circular form with two
lateral projections which enter grooves in the inner faces of the jaws.
In order
When it is required to adjust the position of the hook vertically, it has to
be slightly lifted and it can then be made to slide on the bar; it is self-supporting
as soon as released.
The vertical bars can be painted or otherwise ornamented but when it is
desired to hang pictures in a room the walls of which are hung with paper or
other material, I conceal the bars with sheaths or facings of wood which I then
cover with fabric or paper in harmony with the decoration of the room.
One or more horizontal bars may be supported between two supports pivoted to
slides which are held by the means above described at any required height on
vertical bars which may be fixed or movable. These horizontal bars may be used
to carry shelves or sliding hooks or other objects.
In another application of my invention the support which is pivoted to the
slide on the vertical bar is in the form of a sort of claw adapted for supporting
pictures; this claw consists of a horizontal bar with vertical pins at the ents.

page_text: Two of these claws are used to support a picture, the one below and the other
(which is reversed) either above the picture or above an intermediate cross piece
of same.
For holding the upper part of the vertical bars various devices may be
employed; for example the upper end of the bar may have a bend and a counter-
bend and be supported by a nail having a recess to receive the horizontal part
of the bar between the two bends. An ornament can be placed on the top of the
bar to conceal the nail. Or the upper end of the vertical bar may be in the form
of a ring or hook to fit upon a fixed horizontal rod.
When heavy objects have to be supported the vertical bar and the slide may be
striated horizontally so as to afford a better hold or grip.
In another application of the invention the supports that are pivoted to the
slides are brackets suitable for holding shelves; in this case it is desirable to
employ a spring arranged to prevent an accidental upward movement of the
bracket such as would free the excentric and therefore allow the slide and bracket
to slip down.
Dated this 29th day of March 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Means for Hanging or Supporting Pictures, Frames,
Shelves, Brackets, or the like.
I, JEAN MARIE BOYER of 38 bis Rue Fontaine, Paris, France, Frame Maker,
.do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The objections of the present methods of hanging pictures in galleries or rooms
are well-known. Nails driven into the wall injure the wall coverings; hanging
chains do not readily lend themselves to changes which are often necessary in the
height at which the pictures are hung. Now the primary object of my invention
is to provide means whereby a picture can be hung or supported at the desired
height and without in any way injuring the wall covering.
For the purpose of my invention I employ a flat vertical bar hung by means of
a hook or ring to a rod fixed at the upper part of the wall, and on this flat bar
I place a slide having pivoted to it a hook or support the back or inner part of
which is in the form of an excentric. Consequently the weight of a picture or
other object hung from or supported by the hook or support causes the excentric
to press forcibly or jam against the vertical bar, so that any displacement of the
hook or support relatively to the bar is prevented.
The means just described apply not only to hanging or supporting pictures, but
also to supporting shelves, brackets or the like, the height of which on their
supporting columns can thus be altered at will.
The accompanying drawings represent various modifications of my invention.
The first of these modifications is shown in Figures 1 and 2, which are respectively
a side elevation and a plan of a vertical flat bar fitted with a slide having a picture
support in the form of a hook. A is the vertical bar; I preferably make it of
oblong rectangular section, one of the short sides being placed next the wall. On
this bar fit the slide B having jaws at front between which the hook C for
suspending a picture is pivotted at a, this hook being of excentric form at the
back. It will readily be understood that if a picture be hung to the hook C the
.latter will tend to move down but owing to the excentric at the back which
bears against the vertical bar A it becomes jammed against the bar. In order

page_text: to prevent the slide and hook slipping down when no weight or only a slight
weight is supported thereby, I employ a spring r which exerts a slight pressure
on the hook and causes it to bear with sufficient pressure against the vertical bar.
This spring is fitted without any rivetting; it has a heel z of circular form with
two lateral projections which enter grooves = in the inuer faces of the jaws.
Figure 3 shows how the spring is fitted into place. Figure 4 is a plan view of
it. The projections y y are caused to engage in the grooves and the spring has
then to be lifted into the position seen in Figure 1; then the hook is placed
between the jaws of the slide and the pin or pivot a put in place.
When it is required to adjust the position of the hook vertically, it has to be slightly
lifted and it can then be made to slide on the bar; it is self-supporting as soon as
released.
The vertical bars can be painted or otherwise ornamented but where it is
desired to hang pictures in a room the walls of which are hung with paper or
other material, I conceal the bars with sheaths or facings of wood, as seen in the
horizontal section Figure 5, which I then cover with fabric or paper in harmony
with the decoration of the room.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate how one or more horizontal bars such as m may
be supported between two supports n pivotted to slides which are held by the
means above described at any required height on vertical bars which may be fixed
or movable. These horizontal bars may be used to carry shelves or sliding hooks
or other objects, and they may be of any desired section. In Figures 6 and 7 the
bar m is round. In Figures 8 and 9 the bar m¹ is square, which has the advantage
that it prevents the rotation of the hooks o that are placed on it.
In another application of my invention which is represented in Figures 10, 11
and 12, the support which is pivotted to the slide on the vertical bar is in the form of
a sort of claw adapted for supporting pictures; this claw consists of a horizontal
bark with vertical pins at the ends; it is formed as an excentric at the back, as seen
at v so as to jam against the vertical bar A. Two of these claws are used to
support a picture, as illustrated in Figure 13, the one claw being below, and the
other (which is reversed) either above the picture T or above an intermediate
cross piece of same. As the pressures on the two claws are in reverse directions
the whole is securely held. This arrangement can be usefully adapted as an easel.
When the pictures are framed I use in lieu of the claw a bar of wood in which the
edge of the frame is placed; this bar is fixed by screws to the excentric back. In
order that a picture suspended from a hook may be maintained in a perpendicular
position I screw upon the lower bar of the frame a fork u represented in Figures 14
and 15 the arms of which fit the sides of the vertical bar A. This screw keeps the
frame in a vertical position and at the same time prevents it moving to the right
or left.
For holding the upper part of the vertical bars various devices may be
employed; for example the upper end of the bar may have a bend and a counter-
bend as shown in Figures 16, 17 and 18 and be supported by a nail K having a
recess p to receive the horizontal part of the bar between the two bends, and
thereby to prevent it turning when once in place. An ornament can be placed on
the top of the bar to conceal the nail. Or the upper end of the vertical bar may
be in the form of a ring or hook to fit upon a fixed horizontal rod. Figure 19
represents the upper end of a bar in the form of a ring. Figure 20 shows a
modification in which the upper end is in the form of a hook the outer part of
which is thinned and bent so as to act as a spring, and thereby facilitate its
attachment to and detachment from the fixed horizontal rod. Figure 21 is a side
view partly sectional, Figure 22 an end view and Figure 23 a plan of a nail which
when driven into a wall will serve to support the horizontal rod. The shank A'
has a head B¹ at right angles and a bent branch C₁ is screwed into the shank.
When the nail is driven into place the branch C' is turned to one side to allow
the horizontal rod to pass between B' and C₁; then the branch C is turned back
tp the position shown in the figures. The rod is thus kept securely in place.

page_text: Figures 24 and 25 represent another nail in which a pin a¹ is fixed to the
shank A. The horizontal rod to be secured by this nail has a hole to fit over
the pin a'.
When heavy objects have to be supported the vertical bars herein before
described and the slides on these bars may be striated horizontally so as to afford
a better hold or grip.
In another application of the invention which is represented in Figure 26, the
supports that are pivotted to the slides are brackets suitable for holding shelves.
F represents one of these brackets; it is jointed at 1 to the slide G and is excentric
at the back m. A is the vertical bar and V is a shelf supported by the bracket F.
In this case it is desirable to employ a spring 9 arranged to prevent an accidental
upward movement of the bracket such as would free the excentric and therefore
allow the slide and bracket to slip down. The spring 9 is shown separately in
Figure 27; it is fitted in place similarly to the spring ŕ already described with
reference to Figures 1 to 4.
In any cases in which it is desired to employ vertical bars of circular section
I interpose between the bar and the excentric back of the hook or other support a
piece which has a flat face for the excentric to bear against and a curved face
next the vertical bar. This will be understood on reference to Figures 28 and 29
which are respectively an elevation and a plan, while Figure 30 shows in longi-
tudinal section an automatic locking arrangement which may be employed where
the supports are of great thickness. On the slide E' is jointed the support F¹ by
means of a rivet b'. A piece c¹ fits against the vertical bar G with its concave face
and bears with its flat face against the excentric back or heel d¹ of the support F¹.
It is guided by a key e¹ at each side fitting into a corresponding groove in the
inner faces of the slide E'. A spring flodged within the support F¹ serves to
return the support to its horizontal position. With this object the spring bears
at one end upon a pin g¹ that passes through the slide E¹ and also with a little
play through the support F1; the spring bears at the other end against a screw
plug kl.
When the support F is lifted (as indicated by dots in Figure 30) the
spring is compressed between the plug and the pin g', allowing the heel or
back d¹ to move clear from the piece c¹; the parts can thus be slid up or down the
bar G¹. When the support F is freed the spring returns it to its original
position and the heel d again presses the piece e against the bar G¹.
the support F is thin, the spring f¹ can be lodged in an opening made through the
support as shown in Figure 31. When it is required to rigidly connect the sliding
support to the vertical bar the arrangement shown in sectional elevation in
Figure 32 and in plan in Figure 33 can be employed. The heel d¹ of the
F1
support
has a recess and a notch m¹. In the notch is fitted the end of a plate n² carried
by the spring rod o' which passes through an opening in the piece c¹. In the
position shown in the figures the plate n' prevents the support F1 from pivotting
upwards whilst the pressure of the heel d' against the piece c¹ prevents any
inclination downwards. If the knob p¹ on the rod o¹ be unscrewed a little the rod
can be pushed up so as to disengage the plate n¹ from the notch m²; the support Fl
can then easily be lifted to enable it to be slid up or down the bar G¹.
When
It is often desirable to place a picture at a given inclination. To effect this
I employ the hook shown in elevation in Figure 34 and in plan in Figure 35,
which gives the desired inclination. This hook is composed of a square rod K¹
having at one end a square eye which can be slipped upon a vertical rod of
approximately the same section. On the rod K' is a runner or slides whose jaws
hold the excentric heel of the hook t. Figures 36 and 37 show how this hook is
employed. The picture T¹ rests as shown in a grooved bar mounted on an
excentric support which is placed at the desired height on the vertical bar X¹.
The end of the hook t¹ which is placed above serves to hold a ring screwed to the
back of the picture frame. The rod K¹ can be moved at will on the bar X' and
so can the slide s' on the rod K' to adapt the hook to the size of the picture and to
the particular inclination that is required. The automatic jamming of the eye
pl

page_text: on the bar X' keeps the hook securely in place. The bar X¹ is shown as mounted
on a movable pedestal and as stiffened by three stays :¹.
In order to provide that the vertical bars can be readily disconnected from their
Que of these
supports I employ sockets in which the ends of the bar engage.
sockets is secured to the floor and the other to the ceiling. The floor socket is
shown in Figure 38 and comprises a cup u¹ with a bearing which can readily be
withdrawn; the cup u is fixed to the floor by screws passed through the plate u².
The ceiling socket is shown in Figures 39 and 40; it is deeper than the floor
socket in order to allow the vertical bar to be pushed high enough up for its
lower end to enter the floor socket; the lower end is then allowed to drop into this.
socket.
Figures 41, 42 and 43 show a hook which can also be used to retain pictures at
their upper part; this hook engages the vertical bar with its square eye above the
excentric support and is allowed to descend so as to enter a ring in the back of the
picture frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim in respect of means for hanging or supporting pictures, frames, shelves,
brackets or the like is :-
1. A sliding support in the form of a hook for objects to be suspended or of an
arm to receive a picture, or of claws or bars, the said support having an excentric
portion which owing to its excentricity becomes pressed or jammed against a
vertical bar upon which it is mounted and is thereby securely held in the position
to which it has been moved, substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described.
2. The combination with a support such as referred to in Claim 1, of a spring
substantially as herein before described to prevent the support from slipping down.
the vertical bar when there is little or no weight upon it.
Dated this 30th day of December 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.