Patent ID: 7080813

Claim:
An assembly for suspending an object from a sloped ceiling surface, comprising: a bracket having (i) a first end portion configured to be attached to said sloped ceiling surface, said first end portion defining a first opening, and (ii) a second end portion defining a socket surface, said socket surface defining a second opening; a retainer including (i) a generally hemispherical body having an outer surface configured to be received by said socket surface, said body defining a first longitudinal axis, and (ii) a sleeve structure having a central bore that defines a second longitudinal axis, wherein said first longitudinal axis and said second longitudinal axis define an oblique angle α, and a rod supported by said retainer and at least partially positioned within said sleeve structure, said rod extending through said second opening defined in said socket surface, wherein, when said first end portion of said bracket is attached to said sloped ceiling surface and said outer surface of said body is received by said socket surface, gravity forces said outer surface of said body into contact with said socket surface so that said retainer is maintained within said bracket.