US3595511A - Mounting bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

A mounting bracket for a window shade roller or a curtain rod including a body member having first and second surfaces with pressure-sensitive adhesive on the first surface and a protuberance extending from the second surface with an aperture therein for receiving either a keylike member or pin extending from the end of a window shade roller. A cutaway may be formed between the protuberance and the body member for receiving a Tshaped head of a curtain rod bracket.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Donald V. Summerville. Jr. 905,142 12/ 1908 Bond 248/264 Bullalo, NY. 2,462,344 2/1949 Anderson 248/264 X Appl'. No. 810,124 2,569,756 10/1951 Grigsby 248/268 Filed Mar. 25. 1969 3,300,173 1/1967 Kennedy .7 248/205 X Patented July 27, I971 FOREIGN PATENTS Assgnee g::::"$; 712,157 7 1954 Great Britain 248/264 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. Primary ExaminerEdward C. Allen 603,240, Dec. 20, 1966, now Patent No. Assistant Examiner-J. Franklin Foss 3,480,243. Attorney-Sommer, Weber & Gastel MOUNTING BRACKET 6 Claims, 20 Drawing Figs.

11.8. CI 2481264, ABS C A mounting bracket f a window Shade roller l.60/324-248/205- 248/267' 205 A or a curtain rod including a body member having first and lnt.Cl A47h 1/10 Second surfaces with pressure sensitive adhesive on he fi t Field of Search 248/264, fa and a protuberance extending f the second surface 205 25 l v 205? 16/ 941 160/3 24 with an aperture therein for receiving either a keylike member Re'erenm Cited or pin extending from the end of a window shade roller. A cutaway may be formed between the protuberance and the body UNITED STATES PATENTS member for receiving a T-shaped head of a curtain rod 138,014 4/1873 Fitzhugh 2481264 bracket.

573/ Hill,

MOUNTING BRACKET This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 603,240 filed Dec. 20, 1966 now US. Pat. No. 3,480,243.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved mounting bracket construction for a curtain rod or window shade roller, and more particularly, to a molded plastic bracket, attachable to a surface with pressure-sensitive adhesive.

In the past, the mounting of curtain rod or window shade brackets was a relatively inconvenient task inasmuch as nails were generally used for attachment and it was relatively awkward to attach the brackets to their supporting surface. In addition, the nails marred the supporting surface and if the brackets were to be shifted after having been installed, unsightly holes would remain visible. Furthermore, certain of the more substantial brackets of the prior art were of relatively complex construction which added to their cost. It is with overcoming the foregoing deficiencies of the prior art that the present invention is concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting bracket for window shade rollers or curtain rods which may be secured to practically any surface with pressure-sensitive adhesive, thereby obviating the marring and difiiculty of mounting heretofore experienced with brackets which required the use of nails, screws or other types of penetrating fasteners. A related object of the present invention is to provide an improved mounting bracket which is constructed so that very little stress is placed on the bond provided by the pressure-sensitive adhesive in use thereby insuring the permanence of the attachment between the bracket and its supporting surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved universal mounting bracket which can be used equally well with window shade rollers having pins extending from the opposite ends thereof or with curtain rods. A related object is to provide an improved window shade mounting bracket in which the identical mounting bracket can be used for supporting the differently shaped opposite ends of a window shade roller.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an im- I proved mounting bracket which can be fabricated simply and easily by a molding process and therefore can be made relatively sturdy at a relatively low cost. Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.

The present invention relates to an improved molded plastic mounting bracket which can be used both for curtain rods or window shade rollers and includes a base member having a pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side thereof for securing the base member to a window frame. Extending from the side of the mounting bracket which is opposite to the pressure-sensitive adhesive side is a protuberance having aperture means therein for receiving" either of the pins of the window shade roller, whether it be flat or round. On this protuberance is also a suitable configuration for receiving the end of a curtain rod of suitable shape. The bracket is fabricated in a single molding operation which permits it to be manufactured at relatively low cost. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are mounted on the inside of a window frame facing each other and therefore do not project into the room. The present invention will be more fully understood when the following portions of the specification are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a bracket arrangement which may be used for supporting a window shade roller;

FIG. 2 is a view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and showingthe portion of the bracket base which is mounted on a wall;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view taken from the right of FIG. 5 and showing a modified type of bracket arm for supporting a window shade roller;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view of the arm of FIG. 5 taken from the left of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a bracket which may be placed on the inside of a window frame for supporting one end of a window shade roller;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the bracket shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a bracket used in conjunction with the bracket of FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the bracket shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of a bracket which may be placed on the inside of a window frame for supporting either end ofa window shade roller or a curtain rod;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the bracket shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a modified embodiment of the bracket shown in FIG... and 12;.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the bracket of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a still further modified embodiment of the bracket of FIGS. 13 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the bracket of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 a front elevational view of a bracket for receiving the end of a curtain rod;

FIG. 18 is a view taken substantially along line 17-17 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary view of a curtain rod having a tee head for mounting on brackets such as shown in FIGS. 13

7 through 16; and

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 17 but showing a device which is a modification thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIGS. 1 and 2 one form of the improved window shade roller mounting bracket of the present invention is disclosed. This improvement constitutes brackets orbearings 40 and 41 which fit into spacedarms 12 which are received in spacedbase members 11 mounted onspaced wall surfaces 24 which may be a window frame. Each ofarms 12 is fabricated from a suitable plastic such as molded nylon and includes anelongated body portion 20 having aslot 38 in the end thereof which leads tocircular cutout 39 which leads toslot 34.Slot 34 permits theopposite halves 15 ofbody 20 to flex toward and-away from each other.Body portion 20 terminates atflanges 19 which are connected to key 21 by neck portion 22. Keys 21 are received in any ofslots 26, 27 or 28 inbase member 11 which are formed by thespaced tee members 30 and L-members 31 and 32. Key 21 is in position onbase 11 when it abutslower ledge 33, as shown in FIG. 3. Each ofbase members 11 has a pressure-sensitive adhesive 25 thereon to cause it to adhere to its supportingsurface 24.

Window shade roller 39 is mounted onarms 12 which are received on spacedbase members 11 as described above. In thisrespect bearings 40 and 41 are provided. They are identical in all respects except that hearing 40 contains arectangular hole 41 therein whereas bearing 41 contains acircular bore 42 for receiving the round pin extending from one end ofroller 39. Hole 41' receives therectangular pin 43 extending from the opposite end ofroller 39. Each of thebearings 40 and 41 contain a collar 43', which fits on the inside ofarms 12, and an outer housing portion 44. Collar 43' and housing portion 44 of each bearing is connected by a neck portion 45 (FIG. 2) which is of slightly larger diameter than thecircular cutout 39 inarm 12. Neck portion 45 is also of slightly greater diameter thanslot 38 leading to circular cutout 39'. In

order to installwindow shade roller 39 onbase members 11, it is merely necessary tofirst mount bearings 40 and 41 onarms 12 and locate the pins at the ends of the roller in the bearings. Thereafter,arms 12 are slid into corresponding slots, such as 27-27 in FIG. 10. It is to be noted that bearing 40 includes a key 46 extending laterally from neck 45 with said key being receivedslot 38 to prevent bearing 40 from rotating, this being required for suitable operation ofwindow shade roller 39, as is well understood. Preferably,bearings 40 and 41 may be made identical by including a slot-bore structure, such as shown in FIG. 11, containing a bore, such as 57, centrally located withinslot 56. This will permit one bearing to mount a round pin and the other bearing to mount a rectangular pin, such as i 43 (FIG. 2

In FIGS. 4, and 6 a modified type of arm, or supporting member, 47 is shown for mounting a window shade roller,

- that shown in FIG. 11 by having a pair of spacedlegs 62 tersuch as 39. This arm includes a key 48 mounted on one end of abody portion 49. This. key is received within any one ofkeyways 26, 27 or 28 ofbase member 11. The end of arm 47 remote from key 48 is formed into a substantiallyhemispherical member 50 having two substantiallycylindrical bores 51 connected by aslot 52. Either one ofbores 51 can receive'the round pin extending from one end of awindow shade roller 39, whereas the flat pin, such as 43, will be received inslot 52 and either one ofbores 51. By virtue of the fact that a portion offlat pin 43 is received inslot 52, it cannot rotate. Bore slot 51-52 can be changed in configuration to be like those shown in FIGS. 1116 wherein the circular bore is centrally located within the slot. In order to install awindow shade roller 39 onbase member 11 by the use of arms 47, it is merely necessary to place the pins on the opposite ends ofroller 39 into the arms and thereafter slidekeys 48 of the arms into suitable keyways inbase member 11, which have been previously mounted on the wall.

It can readily be seen that a pair of spacedbase members 11, such as shown in FIG. 1, can receive the arms for supporting the window shade roller in spaced slots 26-26 and a curtain rod may be mounted onbase members 11 on arms which fit into spaced slots 28-28. Thus, a pair ofbase member 11, each carrying two arms can carry a window shade and curtain.

In FIGS. 7--l0 an alternate form of window shade roller bracket is shown. This alternate form consists of afirst bracket body 62 having a pressure-sensitive adhesive 63, which is the same as adhesive 25, mounted on one surface thereof and the other surface being formed with aprotuberance 64 extending therefrom with abore 65 therein for receiving the round pin extending from one end of a window shade roller.Bracket 62 is caused to adhere to the inside surface of a window frame, that is, the surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the window itself. Acompanion bracket 66 includes, on one surface thereof, pressure-sensitive adhesive 67, which is the same as adhesive 25, and the other surface includes aprotuberance 68 having acurved slot 69 therein for receiving the flat pin at the end of the window shade roller opposite to the round pin.Bracket 66 is caused to adhere to the side of the window frame opposite to the side on whichbracket 62 is mounted.

In FIGS. 11 and 12 another form of bracket 50' is shown for mounting either a curtain rod or a window shade roller. Bracket 50' includes abase portion 51 having pressure-sensitive adhesive 52' thereon for attachment to a supporting surface. Aprotuberance 53 extends from the front face thereof. This protuberance is of U-shaped configuration (FIG. 11) and includes twolegs 54, the upper ends of which are arcuate at 55 to receive the end of a round curtain rod which rests thereon. Betweenlegs 54 is anelongated slot 56 having a centralcircular portion 57. A pair of brackets 50' are mounted in aligned facing relationship to each other on opposed sides ofa window frame, and one of these bodies receives the round end of the window shade roller inaperture 57 and the key of the window shade roller is received withinslot 56. When brackets 50' are used to support a curtain rod, its ends rest onsurfaces 55 of the opposed brackets.

minating at upper curved ends 63 for receiving the end of a cylindrical curtain rod or the like. Aslot 64 having a centralenlarged portion 65 performs the same function asslot 56 andenlarged portion 57 of FIG. 11. However, it is to be noted from FIG. 14 that there is a cutaway at 66 between the front portion oflegs 62 and thebody member 59 so that thetee head 67 of acurtain rod 68 may be received, thetee head 67 being attached to themain body 69 of the curtain rod by a neck 70 (FIG. 19).

In FIGS. 15 and 16 an embodiment is shown which is identical in all respects to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 except thatslot 71 which is analogous to slot 64 and centralenlarged portion 72 which is analogous to centralenlarged portion 65 of FIG. 13 are extended through thebody member 73 as extensions 71' and 72', respectively, as shown in FIG. 16. This permits a greater clearance so that these brackets can accept roller shade brackets having extra long pins and keys extending from their opposite ends.

In FIGS. 17 and 18 abracket 73 is shown for mounting on the ends ofa cylindrical curtain rod to permit it to be received in any of the brackets of FIGS. 11-16. This bracket is made of resilient molded nylon or the like and includes acuplike portion 74 which receives the end of the curtain rod. A key 75 protrudes from the rear ofcuplike portion 74 and is received in any ofthe slots such as 56, 64 or 71 of the above brackets. If desired, key 75, shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, may be made in the configuration of a tee head, such as shown in FIG. 19, so

i that these tee heads can be received in brackets, such as shown in FIGS. 13-16.

In FIG. 20 a bracket is shown which is a modification ofbracket 73 of FIGS. 17 and 18 and differs therefrom only in the fact that cuplike portions 74' has corrugations 81 which extend longitudinally in the direction of the axis ofcuplike portion 74 This permits this cup to expand to receive a wide range of rod sizes. Except for the foregoingchange bracket 80 is identical tobracket 73 of FIGS. 17 and 18, and includes a key 82 which is similar to key 75.

All of the brackets discussed above are made of molded nylon, or they can be fabricated from any other suitable plastic. The pressure-sensitive adhesive discussed above relative to all of the embodiments which has been used successfully is manufactured by the 3M Company and is identified by their code Y-9l 30 D.

I claim:

1. A molded bracket construction comprising a body member having a front surface and rear surface which is substantially planar in its entirety, a protuberance extending outwardly from said front surface, and aperture means formed in said protuberance for receiving a pinlike member, pressuresensitive adhesive on said rear surface, said aperture means comprising a substantially circular hole centrally located between diametrically opposed slotlike extensions in communication therewith, said protuberance being in the form of a U having upwardly extending legs which bracket said aperture means and slotlike extensions, and said legs having tops which are curved to support a round member in mating relationship.

2. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 1 including a cutaway between the upper portion of said protuberance and said body member.

3. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said aperture means extend through said body member.

4. A molded bracket construction comprising a body member having a front surface and a rear surface which is substantially planar in its entirety, a protuberance extending outwardly from said front surface, aperture means formed in said 6 ranc e extending downwardly from said curved upper portion.

6. A molded bracket construction as set forth inclaim 5 wherein said aperture means extend through said body member.

Claims (6)

1. A molded bracket construction comprising a body member having a front surface and rear surface which is substantially planar in its entirety, a protuberance extending outwardly from said front surface, and aperture means formed in said protuberance for receiving a pinlike member, pressure-sensitive adhesive on said rear surface, said aperture means comprising a substantially circular hole centrally located between diametrically opposed slotlike extensions in communication therewith, said protuberance being in the form of a U having upwardly extending legs which bracket said aperture means and slotlike extensions, and said legs having tops which are curved to support a round member in mating relationship.

2. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 1 including a cutaway between the upper portion of said protuberance and said body member.

3. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said aperture means extend through said body member.

4. A molded bracket construction comprising a body member having a front surface and a rear surface which is substantially planar in its entirety, a protuberance extending outwardly from said front surface, aperture means formed in said protuberance for receiving a pinlike member, and said protuberance having a concavely curved upper portion for supporting a round member in mating relationship.

5. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 4 including a cutaway between the upper portion of said protuberance and said body member, and slot means in said protuberance extending downwardly from said curved upper portion.

6. A molded bracket construction as set forth in claim 5 wherein said aperture means extend through said body member.

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