Patent ID: 7713013

Claim:
An article support system for hanging an article on a wall including drywall material, comprising: a hanging element adapted to be integral with the article; a support device adapted to be attached to the wall and comprising an elongate body having a central longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end and including: a head disposed at the first end of the elongate body; a neck adjacent to the head, the neck being circular in cross-section and extending outward from the longitudinal axis a distance less than the distance the head extends outward from the longitudinal axis; a shoulder flange adjacent to the neck, the shoulder flange being circular in cross-section, including a first surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and adapted to contact a corresponding surface of the wall, a second surface perpendicular to the longitudinal axis adapted to face away from the wall, and a side surface extending between the first and second surfaces, the side surface being parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the shoulder flange extends outward from the longitudinal axis a distance at least equal to the distance the head extends outward from the longitudinal axis; and an elongate shank and threads extending therefrom adapted to be embedded in the drywall material, the shank extending from the shoulder flange to the second end of the elongate body for anchoring the support device at a target site on the wall, the shank having a profile on the shank surface along the longitudinal axis between the shoulder flange to the second end of the elongate body, wherein only the second surface of the shoulder flange, the shank, and the threads are adapted to contact the wall, wherein the shank tapers along the shank profile in a substantially linear manner at a first angle to the longitudinal axis from a greatest diameter proximate to the shoulder flange until a point on the shank profile proximate to the second end where the angle of such tapering increases relative to the longitudinal axis, such point being a point of increased tapering, and such tapering continues until the shank narrows down to a pointed end at the second end of the elongate body, wherein the threads terminate between the shoulder flange and the point of increased tapering, leaving the shank between the point of increased tapering and the second end substantially smooth, wherein between the point of increased tapering and the second end of the elongate body the surface of the shank continuously curves in tapering to the pointed end, and wherein the head, neck, or a combination thereof engage the hanging element of the article to support the article.