Patent ID: 7721659

Claim:
An elongated universal support element comprising an elongated, substantially rigid, generally U-shaped member including, a mounting portion and a cover portion each of which has an inner surface and an outer surface and first and second longitudinally extending edges, said cover portion substantially parallel to said mounting portion and spaced therefrom, and a bridge portion integral with and interconnecting said mounting portion and cover portion at the said first edges of the mounting portion and cover portion, the mounting portion and cover portion substantially equal in width from their first edges to said second edges, and wherein the cover portion thickness is substantially greater than the mounting portion thickness, a plurality of elongated parallel ridges integral with the inner surface of one of said mounting portion and cover portion within the interior of said U-shaped member, each of said ridges relatively flexible in comparison to said mounting portion, cover portion, and bridge portion, wherein said mounting portion, said cover portion, and said bridge portion are formed from rigid PVC and said ridges are integrally extruded flexible PVC, and substantially arcuate in cross-section and extend longitudinally along the length of the U-shaped member, the ridges defining a gap between an outermost extremity of a ridge and the inner surface of the other of said mounting portion and cover portion, wherein said ridges will flexibly compress to enable an item having a thickness dimension greater than the said gap to be inserted into the U-shaped member to be retained between said ridges and said inner surface of the other of said mounting portion and cover portion with said mounting portion and said cover portion remaining parallel and not flexing upon insertion of said item, such that all forces are absorbed by said ridges, said mounting portion being adapted to be affixed to a mounting surface, and wherein said item to be inserted includes a substantially planar locking strip of rigid material relative to the said parallel ridges integral with the inner surface of one of said mounting portion and cover portion within the interior of said U-shaped member, said item to be inserted further including a pair of relatively rigid locking strip ridges disposed so as to be complementary to said flexible ridges.