Patent ID: 8545647

Claim:
A method of adhesively bonding an item of hardware to a substrate comprising: providing an integral housing portion comprising: a hardware functional portion a housing peripheral portion extending from the hardware functional portion; a base plate contained in the housing peripheral portion and having one or more adhesion-enhancing openings formed therein, the base plate being oriented substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate to which it is to be adhesively attached; a continuous housing peripheral extension portion extending from the housing peripheral portion and circumferentially encompassing the base plate, the housing peripheral extension portion extending a predetermined distance beyond the base plate and being adapted to contact the substrate surface; applying an amount of an adhesive material to the surface of the base plate, or to the surface of a substrate to which the item of hardware is to be bonded; and bringing the item of hardware and the substrate surface into bonding contact, wherein the continuous housing peripheral extension portion contacts the substrate surface so as to contain the lateral extent of the adhesive material, while maintaining the base plate a predetermined vertical distance above the substrate surface so as to establish a nominal adhesive layer thickness between the base plate and the substrate surface.