Wall-mountable assembly and method of use

• US 9,970,475 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Chang, Pei Chun, Wood, Kenneth B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Safavi, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/526,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20170314608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 2482054
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 95/008 Suspension fittings for cabinets to be hung on walls
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/16 Devices for hanging or supporting pictures, mirrors, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/175 Stretch releasing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/08 Holders for articles of personal use in general, e.g. brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/087 Devices for fastening household utensils, or the like, to tables, walls, or the like for kitchen utensils A47J45/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/10 characterised by being mounted on cabinets, walls, doors, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2201/02 Connections to a wall mounted support
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/22 for facilitating lifting or suspending of containers
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 11/006 by gluing gluing of plastics material B29C65/48
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 47/00 Suction cups for attaching purposes; Equivalent means using adhesives devices using adhesives, suction or magnetism for hanging or supporting pictures or the like A47G1/17; vacuum work holders B25B11/005; anchoring of ships using suction B63B21/27; suction cups for handling glass B65G49/061; load-engaging elements for cranes using suction means B66C1/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 47/003 using adhesives for attaching purposes using adhesives for connecting constructional elements F16B11/006

Abstract

An assembly that is removably mountable to a wall, the assembly including a base plate and a mounting plate that is asymmetrically deflectably coupled to the base plate.

Claims

1. An assembly that is removably mountable to a wall, the assembly comprising:

a base plate; and

a mounting plate that comprises a double-faced adhesive with a first major adhesive surface that is adhesively attached to a major surface of the mounting plate and with a second major adhesive surface that is an exposed adhesive surface;

wherein the mounting plate is removably and deflectably coupled to the base plate so that the mounting plate is asymmetrically deflectable at least from a first, undeflected condition to a second, asymmetrically deflected condition,

wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition all portions of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive are positioned inward of outwardmost surface portions of the base plate,

wherein when the mounting plate is in the second, asymmetrically deflected condition, a first portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is positioned outward from the outwardmost surface portions of the base plate; and

, a second portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive remains positioned inward of the outwardmost surface portion of the base plate, and

wherein the double-faced adhesive is a sheet of stretch-release adhesive comprising at least one pull tab, and wherein when the mounting plate is coupled to the base plate and the mounting plate is adhesively bonded to a wall, the base plate at least substantially conceals the mounting plate and the at least one pull tab.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the outwardmost surface portions of the base plate define an imaginary plane;

wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition, all portions of the mounting plate and the double-faced adhesive that is adhesively attached thereto, are recessed relative to the imaginary plane of the base plate,

and, wherein when the mounting plate is in the second, asymmetrically deflected condition, a first portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive protrudes outward past the imaginary plane of the base plate and a second portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive remains recessed relative to the imaginary plane of the base plate.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base plate comprises an open-ended cavity at least partially defined by sidewalls, which sidewalls comprise outwardmost surface portions that provide the outwardmost surface portions of the base plate and that establish at least a partial perimeter of the base plate, which partial perimeter defines an imaginary plane that defines an outwardmost limit of the open-ended cavity of the base plate;

wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition, all portions of the mounting plate and the double-faced adhesive that is adhesively attached thereto, are recessed within the open-ended cavity of the base plate,

and, wherein when the mounting plate is in the second, asymmetrically deflected condition, a first portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive protrudes outward past the imaginary plane of the open-ended cavity of the base plate and a second portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive remains recessed within the open-ended cavity of the base plate.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the sidewall outwardmost surface portions that define the imaginary plane of the base plate, are provided by outwardmost surface portions of at least one edge guard that is removably attached to at least one sidewall.

5. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the mounting plate is removably and deflectably attached to the base plate so that the when the mounting plate is asymmetrically deflected from the first, undeflected condition to the second, asymmetrically deflected condition, the second portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is moved inward away from the imaginary plane of the base plate.

6. The assembly of claim 2 wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition, the entirety of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is located at a position that is, relative to the imaginary plane of the base plate, between 0.1 mm inward toward an interior surface of the base plate and about 1.0 mm inward toward the interior surface of the base plate.

7. The assembly of claim 2 wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition, the entirety of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is recessed relative to the imaginary plane of the base plate, a distance that is about 10% to about 90% of a thickness of the double-faced adhesive.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein an area of an inward-facing major surface of the mounting plate is configured to be manually pressed outward so as to asymmetrically deflect the mounting plate from the first, undeflected condition to the second, deflected condition.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the base plate comprises at least one connecting structure by which an accessory can be connected to the base plate.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mounting base plate comprises at least one accessory that is fixedly connected thereto.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the accessory is chosen from the group consisting of one or more shelves, baskets, hooks, racks, trays, elongate rods, and any combination thereof.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mounting plate is removably and deflectably coupled to the base plate by way of a coupling mechanism.

13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the coupling mechanism is provided by at least one coupling structure of the mounting plate, and at least one complementary coupling structure of the base plate, which coupling structures are reversibly snap-fittable to each other to form the coupling mechanism.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the coupling structure of the mounting plate comprises at least one deflectable beam that extends inwardly from an inward surface of the mounting plate.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the at least one coupling structure of the base plate comprises at least one engaging member that extends outwardly from an interior surface of the base plate and that comprises a bending stiffness that is at least ten times a bending stiffness of the deflectable beam.

16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the deflectable beam of the mounting plate is made of injection molded organic thermoplastic polymer and the deflectable beam is integral with the mounting plate;

and wherein the engaging member of the base plate is made of metal.

17. A method of mounting an assembly to a wall, the method comprising:

providing an assembly comprising,

a base plate and a mounting plate, the mounting plate bearing a double-faced adhesive with a first major surface that is adhesively attached to a major surface of the mounting plate and with a second major surface that is an exposed adhesive surface, and the mounting plate being removably and deflectably coupled to the base plate;

positioning the base plate such that at least outwardmost surface portions of the base plate contact the wall;

asymmetrically deflecting the mounting plate so that a first portion of the second, exposed major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive contacts the wall so as to partially bond the second, exposed major adhesive surface to the wall;

decoupling the base plate from the mounting plate;

pressing the mounting plate against the wall so that the second, exposed major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is fully bonded to the wall;

and,

recoupling the base plate to the mounting plate.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the base plate and mounting plate are a first base plate and a first mounting plate, the first base plate being fixedly connected to an accessory, and wherein the assembly further comprises a second base plate and a second mounting plate, the second mounting plate being removably and deflectably coupled to the second base plate and the second base plate being fixedly connected to the accessory, and wherein the method further includes the steps of:

positioning the second base plate such that at least outwardmost surface portions of the second base plate contact the wall;

asymmetrically deflecting the second mounting plate so that a first portion of a second, exposed major adhesive surface of a double-faced adhesive of the second mounting plate contacts the wall so as to partially bond the second, exposed major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive of the second mounting plate to the wall;

decoupling the second base plate from the second mounting plate;

pressing the second mounting plate against the wall so that the second, exposed major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive of the second mounting plate is fully bonded to the wall;

and,

recoupling the second base plate to the second mounting plate.

19. An assembly that is removably mountable to a wall, the assembly comprising:

a base plate; and

a mounting plate that comprises a double-faced adhesive with a first major adhesive surface that is adhesively attached to a major surface of the mounting plate and with a second major adhesive surface that is an exposed adhesive surface;

wherein the mounting plate is removably and deflectably coupled to the base plate so that the mounting plate is asymmetrically deflectable at least from a first, undeflected condition to a second, asymmetrically deflected condition,

wherein when the mounting plate is in the first, undeflected condition all portions of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive are positioned inward of outwardmost surface portions of the base plate,

wherein when the mounting plate is in the second, asymmetrically deflected condition, a first portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive is positioned outward from the outwardmost surface portions of the base plate; and

, a second portion of the second major adhesive surface of the double-faced adhesive remains positioned inward of the outwardmost surface portion of the base plate, and

wherein the base plate and mounting plate are a first base plate and a first mounting plate, the first base plate being fixedly attached to an accessory, and wherein the assembly further comprises a second base plate and a second mounting plate, the second mounting plate being removably and deflectably attached to the second base plate and the second base plate being fixedly connected to the accessory, and wherein the accessory is an elongate accessory with a long axis and is configured to be mounted on a wall with the long axis of the accessory oriented horizontally.