Picture anchor and method

• US 8,632,044 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jerry Lynn Cave
• Original Assignee: Jerry Lynn Cave
• Inventors: Cave, Jerry Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Duckworth, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US11/717,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20070210233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 248/216.4, 248/205.4, 248/205.3, 248/466, 248/467
• US Class Current: 248/467
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/168 Pads or the like preventing displacement of hanging pictures, mirrors, or the like

Abstract

A picture anchor may include a fastener such as a pin, nail or tack and a non-metallic bumper pad connected to the non-sharp end of the fastener. The anchor is adapted so a back surface of the bumper pad may be attached to a back surface of an object for hanging. A user may then press the object for hanging against the mounting surface, such as a drywall surface, to force the sharp end of the fastener to penetrate the surface thereby anchoring the object to the wall. The bumper pad(s) will provide a uniform space between the hanging object and the mounting surface and serve as a shock absorber to prevent the hanging object from vibrating or rattling.

Claims

1. A picture anchor to secondarily secure a picture frame that has an existing primary hanger system to a wall, the picture anchor comprising:

a single-piece silicone bumper pad comprising, (i) a front surface to, contact the wall, (ii) an adhesive laden rear surface parallel to the front surface to adhere the picture anchor to the picture frame, and (iii) one or more tapered side surfaces connecting respective peripheries of the front and rear surfaces in a manner that the front surface has a substantially smaller surface area than the rear surface to reduce an area of the front surface that will contact the wall and detrimentally impact a corresponding wall coating and to have a larger adhesive area of the rear surface that will contact the picture frame to utilize a lower bond adhesive, wherein the thickness of the silicone bumper pad is proportionate to a size of the picture frame and the primary hanger system to provide substantially parallel spacing between the wall and the picture frame and to absorb vibrations between the picture frame and the wall; and

a fastener having a headed end and a sharp end, the headed end being permanently and non-movably embedded within the silicone of the bumper pad, the fastener extending perpendicularly and through to the front surface with the sharp end being exposed such that, when the rear surface of the bumper pad is adhesively attached to a back surface of the picture frame, and the frame is secured to the wall with the primary hanger system, pressure applied to a front surface of the picture frame will force the sharp end of the fastener to penetrate the wall and secure the picture frame.

2. The picture anchor of claim 1 wherein the adhesive laden rear surface is the only adhesive present on the picture anchor.

3. The picture anchor of claim 1 wherein the bumper pad is formed of a tapered block of silicone having a consistency that substantially retains its shape but capable of absorbing vibrations.

4. The picture anchor of claim 1 wherein the front surface is formed to have an X-shape to further reduce the area of the front surface that will contact the wall.

5. The picture anchor of claim 1 further comprising a disposable backing material to protect the adhesive laden rear surface until ready for use.

6. An anchor to mount a picture frame to a mounting surface, the anchor comprising:

a pin having a sharp end and a headed end;

a silicone bumper pad having the headed end of the pin permanently embedded therein and having a front surface through which the pin extends outward and a rear surface having a layer of non-permanent adhesive to be attached to a back of the picture frame such that, when attached to the back of the picture frame, the pin may be pushed into the mounting surface by applying pressure to a front of the picture frame, wherein the silicone bumper pad is formed of a single block of silicone and configured such that the front surface of the silicone bumper pad has a substantially smaller surface area than the rear surface to reduce an area of the silicone bumper pad that will contact the mounting surface and have a larger surface area for the layer of non-permanent adhesive to contact the picture frame, and wherein the thickness of the silicone bumper pad between the front and rear surfaces is selected to absorb vibrations between the picture frame to be mounted and the mounting surface and to provide substantially uniform spacing between the picture frame when the picture frame is mounted on the mounting surface with a separately provided primary picture frame mounting hanger.

7. The anchor of claim 6 wherein the layer of non-permanent adhesive on the rear surface is the only adhesive present on the anchor.

8. The anchor of claim 6 wherein the thickness of the silicone bumper pad is approximately 0.025 inches.

9. The anchor of claim 6 wherein the silicone bumper pad comprises a tapered block having one or more angled sides connecting respective peripheries of the front and rear surfaces.

10. The anchor of claim 6 wherein the front surface of the silicone bumper pad has an X-shape to reduce the surface area of the silicone bumper pad that contacts the wall.

11. A method of secondarily securing a picture frame having an existing primary hanger system on a drywall surface, the method comprising:

peeling a backing paper off an adhesive-coated rear surface of a first anchor pin comprising a single-piece silicone bumper pad having a fastening pin permanently embedded therein and extending through and outward from a front surface of the silicone bumper pad, the bumper pad having a thickness selected to absorb vibrations between the framed picture and the drywall surface;

pressing the rear surface of the first anchor pin on a lower corner of a back of the picture frame;

peeling a backing paper off an adhesive-coated rear surface of a second anchor pin identical to the first anchor pin;

pressing the rear surface of the second anchor pin on a lower opposite corner of the back of the picture frame;

hanging the picture frame on the drywall surface via the primary hanger system;

aligning the picture frame as desired; and

pressing front portions of the picture frame, at substantially the location that the first and second anchor pins are attached on the lower back corners, to insert the fastening pin into the drywall surface.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, before peeling the backing paper off the first anchor pin, selecting a size of anchor pins to use based on a size of the picture frame and its primary hanger system to achieve substantially uniform spacing between the drywall surface and the picture frame when mounted.