Patent ID: 7377491

Claim:
A bracket comprising: a support plate having a plurality of securement apertures, wherein a bottom surface of the support plate is adapted to be secured to a flat surface by screws or nails being driven through the securement apertures; a substantially hollow column member having four side walls extending upwardly from said support plate, said column member sized to receive at least a first elongated construction member of at least a standard wooden two by four size mounted substantially perpendicular to the support plate, wherein a central axis extending down the center of the hollow column is laterally displaced from a centerpoint of the support plate to provide a portion of the support plate extending from the column member having a top surface adapted to be secured to a flat surface by a screw or nail being driven through at least one of the securement apertures; the column member being further provided with opposed lateral apertures sized for receiving at least a second construction member of at least a standard wooden two by four size, wherein the opposed lateral apertures are offset a greater distance from a first of said side walls than from an opposed second of said side walls, the lateral apertures constructed and arranged such that the second construction member can be mounted substantially parallel to the support plate by passing through said opposed lateral apertures and extending completely through said column member; the column member being provided with at least one tightening aperture in a third of said side walls and at least one tightener, the tightening aperture and the tightener being constructed and arranged for removably securing the construction members to the column member when the construction members are mounted substantially parallel to the support plate or substantially perpendicular to the support plate; and an aperture in said support plate constructed and arranged so that the first construction member can pass completely through the hollow column member and the support plate when mounted substantially perpendicular to the support plate.