Anti-dislodgement mechanism

• US 4,971,281 A
• Filed: 05/22/1989
• Issued: 11/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon. Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hon Industries Incorporated (HNI Corporation)
• Inventors: Steinbeck, Linn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US07/354,795
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 248/225.2, 248/222.1, 248/222.2, 248/223.4, 248/224.4, 248/225.1, 248/227, 248/243, 248/246, 211/192
• US Class Current: 248/222.13
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/42 the shelf supports being cantilever brackets
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/06 Brackets or similar supporting means for cabinets, racks or shelves A47B96/022 takes precedence; aspects of adjusting height or inclination A47B57/00 ; brackets for the display of articles A47F5/08
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/013 Profiles for cabinet frames

Abstract

A bracket assembly such as is used for hanging office furnishing components on vertical supports, e.g., slotted posts of office partition systems, includes a mounting bracket with a plurality of aligned, coplanar hooks for engagement with aligned slots of such supports and an interlock member pivotally mounted on the bracket, with a cam section at one end and a locking projection at the other. The cam section is positioned to enter a slot as the bracket is engaged on the support and thereafter engages the lower edge of the slot as the bracket is seated to rotate the interlock member and extend the locking projection into another of the slots. The locking projection is positioned to enter the slot as the interlock is rotated by the cam and thereafter is held in the slot by the interlock to preclude raising of the bracket for disengagement of the hooks except upon counterrotation of the interlock member by the user.

Claims

1. A mounting bracket assembly for supporting office furnishing components on generally vertical support members each provided with a plurality of vertically aligned engagement slots, comprising:

a support bracket which includes a plurality of hook elements projecting in generally coplanar alignment with one another at one side of said bracket, said hook elements shaped and arranged for supportably engaging such a support member by movement of said bracket transversely to such a support member to insert such hooks thereof into a group of said slots and then downwardly to engage said hooks on the portions of such support member immediately beneath the respective slots;

an interlock member pivotally mounted on said bracket for pivotal movement, relative to said bracket, about a pivot axis generally normal to the coplanar alignment of said hook elements;

a locking projection on said interlock member at one side of said pivot axis and extending generally parallel to said hook elements for selective projection into one of such slots of such a support member on which said bracket assembly is engaged;

a cam section on said interlock member at the opposite side of said pivot axis and extending in a direction generally parallel to said hook elements;

said locking projection being disposed, longitudinally of said bracket, such that it will abut such support member without entering one of said slots therein as said hooks are moved transversely into their respective slots and will be aligned with one of said slots in the course of such downward movement of said bracket by which said hooks are engaged;

said cam section having a cam surface positioned to engage a portion of such support member during such downward movement of said bracket to cause retractive movement of said cam section and thereby to rotate said interlock member to extend said locking element into its respective aligned slot in the course of such downward movement of said bracket; and

the configuration and relative positioning of said hooks and said locking element being such that said locking element engages such support member in the respective slot to preclude vertical movement of said bracket which would permit transverse disengagement of said hooks from their respective slots.

2. A mounting bracket assembly for supporting office furnishing components on generally vertical support members each provided with a plurality of vertically aligned engagement slots, comprising:

a support bracket which includes a plurality of hook elements projecting in generally coplanar alignment with one another at one side of said bracket, said hook elements shaped and arranged for supportably engaging such a support member by movement of said bracket transversely to such a support member to insert such hooks thereof into a group of said slots and then downwardly to engage said hooks on the portions of such support member immediately beneath the respective slots;

an interlock member pivotally mounted on said bracket for pivotal movement, relative to said bracket, in a plane generally parallel to the coplanar alignment of said hook elements and about a pivot axis intermediate first and second portions of said interlock member;

a locking element projecting from said first portion in a direction generally parallel to said hook elements for selective projection into one of such slots of such a support member on which said bracket assembly is engaged;

a cam section projecting from said second portion in a direction generally parallel to said hook elements for selective projection into one of such slots of such support member;

said locking element being disposed, longitudinally of said bracket, such that it will abut such support member without entering one of said slots therein as said hooks are moved transversely into their respective slots and will be aligned with one of said slots in the course of such downward movement of said bracket by which said hooks are engaged;

said cam section being disposed, longitudinally of said bracket, such that it will extend into one of said slots as said hooks are so moved transversely into their respective slots;

said cam section having a cam surface positioned to engage such support member at the lower edge of the respective slot during such downward movement of said bracket to cause retractive movement of said cam section and thereby to rotate said interlock member to extend said locking element into its respective aligned slot in the course of such downward movement of said bracket; and

the configuration and relative positioning of said hooks and said locking element being such that said locking element engages such support member in the respective slot to preclude vertical movement of said bracket which would permit transverse disengagement of said hooks from their respective slots.

3. In a mounting bracket including at least one projecting hook for engaging a mounting member which includes a mounting wall having a plurality of spaced engagement apertures for receiving said at least one hook, a locking system for locking said mounting bracket to said mounting member comprising:

a latch member mounted on said mounting bracket for relative pivotal movement about a pivot axis and including latch arm portions on opposite sides of said pivot axis, said pivot axis disposed transversely relative to said hook;

a cam section on one of said latch arms, said cam section including a cam surface disposed to abut one edge of one of said mounting member apertures and rotate the opposite latch arm portion outwardly in the direction of projection of said hook as said mounting bracket is moved longitudinally of said plurality of spaced mounting surface apertures and as said hook is engaged in one of said mounting surface apertures and to prevent counterrotation of said opposite latch arm when said hook is engaged in one of said mounting surface apertures; and

a locking tab on the other of said latch arms and disposed to engage into one of such mounting member apertures in a locked position and thereby prevent reverse longitudinal movement of said mounting bracket relative to said mounting surface apertures when said latch member is so rotated by engagement of said cam surface with such one edge.

4. The invention of claim 3 including a locking tab stop for limiting travel of said locking tab in the direction of movement for engagement in said mounting member aperture.

5. The invention of claim 3 further comprising means for disengaging said locking tab from such mounting member as said hook is simultaneously disengaged from one of such mounting member apertures.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said means for disengaging said locking tab includes a thumb tab attached to said other of said latch arms and extending transverse to said locking tab.

7. The invention of claim 3 wherein said mounting bracket defines a recess and wherein said locking tab is disposed in said recess.

8. The invention of claim 3 wherein said cam section and said locking tab are in generally coplanar alignment with said hook.

10. The invention of claim 8 further comprising a thumb tab attached to said latch arm portions and disposed transverse to said locking tab for disengaging said locking tab from said support slot as said hook is simultaneously disengaged from the respective slot.

9. In a mounting bracket of the type having means for securing an office component thereto and at least one projecting hook for engaging a vertical support which includes a plurality of spaced engagement slots disposed in a linear array for receiving said hook, an interlock member for locking said mounting bracket to said support comprising:

a latch member mounted on said mounting bracket for relative pivotal movement about a pivot axis and including latch arm portions on opposite sides of said pivot axis, said pivot axis disposed transversely relative to said hook;

a cam section on one of said latch arms, said cam section including an outwardly extending cam surface disposed to abut one edge of one of said support slots and rotate the opposite latch arm portion outwardly in the direction of projection of said hook as said hook is engaged in one of said support slots and to prevent counterrotation of the opposite latch arm when said hook is engaged in one of said support slots;

a locking tab on the other of said latch arms and aligned with said hook for engaging one of said support slots in a locked position when said latch member is so rotated by engagement of said cam surface with said one edge, said locking tab preventing said hook from disengaging the support when said locking tab is so engaged in the respective slot; and

said mounting bracket including a recess, said locking tab being disposed in said recess, whereby movement of said locking tab and of said latch member are restricted.

11. A mounting bracket assembly for supporting office furnishing components on supports provided with a plurality of engagement slots, comprising a bracket and at least one hook element projecting transversely from said bracket and longitudinally thereof for engaging such a support in one of such slots by movement of said bracket transversely and then longitudinally of such a support,

an interlock including an arm pivotally mounted on said bracket, first and second portions of said arm extending generally longitudinally of said bracket on opposite sides of such pivotal mounting,

a locking projection on said first arm portion and projecting therefrom in the same direction as the transverse projection of said hook for selectively extending into a first such slot,

a cam section on said second arm portion and projecting therefrom in the same direction as the transverse projection of said hook and said locking projection for selectively extending into a second of such slots,

said cam section being positioned for insertion into such second slot as said hook is inserted into such one of said slots, said cam section having a cam surface positioned to engage such support at the edge of such second slot as said bracket thereafter is moved longitudinally of such support for engagement of said hook thereon and thereby to rotate said arm to extend said locking projection transversely of said bracket,

said locking projection being positioned to abut such a support adjacent such first slot as said hook and said cam section are so inserted and for alignment with such first slot as said bracket is so moved longitudinally of such support,

whereby said arm is rotated by such engagement of said cam surface on said support to extend said locking projection into such first slot during such longitudinal engagement movement of said bracket,

and said locking projection disposed to thereafter engage such support at one end of such first slot to preclude reverse longitudinal movement of said bracket relative to said support for transverse realignment of said hook with the respective slot, thereby precluding transverse disengagement of said hook from said support.