Patent ID: 8584421

Claim:
A melt-bondable panel mounting bracket for mounting objects, including a decorative architectural resin-based panel, to a support structure in a manner that conceals mounting hardware from a facing view of the architectural resin-based panel, the bracket comprising: a body; one or more bonding protrusions integrated with the body, the one or more bonding protrusions extending in a first direction generally away from the body; one or more ridges extending generally transversely from the one or more bonding protrusions; one or more perforations through the body, the one or more perforations being located adjacent to the one or more protrusions in a manner that the one or more protrusions do not overlap the one or more perforations; a connection member configured to connect the melt-bondable panel mounting bracket to an additional hardware component; and one or more channels extending generally into a bonding surface of the body; wherein the one or more bonding protrusions are configured so that, upon application of heat and pressure, the bonding protrusions can be pressed into a resin-based panel and cause resin of the resin-based panel to melt and flow over the one or more ridges, thereby creating a mechanical bond between the panel and the melt-bondable panel mounting bracket; wherein the one or more channels are configured to receive molted resin displaced as the one or more bonding protrusions are heated and pressed into the resin-based panel.