US3037733A - Stabilized peg-board hanger - Google Patents

Description

June 5, 1962 D. B. ROMAN 3,037,733

STABILIZED PEG-BOARD HANGER Filed May 26; 1961 Z SheQts-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. DONALD B. ROMAN ATTORNEYS June 5, 1962 D. B. ROMAN 3,037,733

STABILIZED PEG-BOARD HANGER F iled May 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,037,733 STABILKZED PEG=BARD HANGER Donald lit. Roman, Lake Forest, ill. (4540 Narragansett, Chicago 30, Ill.) Filed May 26, 1961, Ser. No. 112,907 11 Claims. (ill. 248-423) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 43,692, filed June 23, 1960, now abandoned.

This invention relates to the stabilizing of peg-board hangers on the peg-board.

Article supporting racks are commonly provided by the use of relatively rigid sheets of hard board or the like perforated in a regular grid-like pattern 50 that supporting hangers in the form of hooks or brackets may be secured in various locations on the board by engaging an anchoring element of the hanger with a selected per foration in the board. Hangers for such use with pegboard take many different forms and shapes that are determined primarily by the nature of the articles that are to be supported thereby. In a broad sense all or most of such hangers embody a vertically extended body with an article-support extending forwardly from the lower end of the body or from some intermediate point spaced downwardly from the upper end of the body, and at the upper end of the body anchoring means in the form of an anchoring hook is provided which may be inserted rearwardly through a selected perforation in the board in a known and well understood manner.

When thus mounted on a peg-board, the body extends downwardly with respect to its interlocked or anchored upper end, and because the lower portions of the body bear against the forward face of the board, the projecting support may serve to carry the weight of an article placed on such support.

Hangers of the aforesaid character are usually made from a single length of wire having a diameter just slightly less than the diameter of the perforations in the peg-board, and the anchoring means is formed by bending of the wire at one end, the support is formed by bending the wire to a hook-like or other suitable form at the other end of the wire, while an intermediate portion of the wire is left in straight form to provide the body of the hanger. Conventionally this intermediate or body portion of the hanger has a length somewhat greater than the vertical spacing of the perforations.

In the use of hangers made from a single piece of wire as above described it has been found that when an article is put in place on or is removed from the hanger, the lower end of the hanger often shifts laterally across the forward face of the board, or away from the board. Such forward displacement of the lower portion of the hanger often disengages the hanger from the peg-board. Such undesired displacement of the hangers has been considered objectionable to such an extent that various forms of stabilizers have been provided for connecting the lower portion of the body with the perforation that is located immediately below the perforation in which the upper end of the hanger is secured. In some instances the stabilizing means has taken the form of a projecting lug integral with the body of the hanger and adapted to extend into the lower perforation with a snug friction fit, while in other instances separately formed generally U-shaped fine wire clips have been provided to embrace the body of the hanger with the ends of the clips projected through the lower opening in the board and having a spring-like lateral engagement with the sides and rear edges of the perforation. Both types of conventional stabilizers have been considered to be objectionable in that when forward forces are applied to the support or hook, the stabilizer is disengaged from the lower perfora- 3,037,733 Patented June 5, I 962 tion, and the user must thereupon re-engage the stabilizer with the board.

Another form of conventional hanger is arranged to provide a support that is extended for a considerable distance horizontally so that one large object or a plurality of small objects may be carried on the support. These larger hangers are usually made up of a plurality of wires welded together so that a body is provided that rests against the peg-board, and the body has rearwardly projecting lugs spaced along the upper edge of the body so that such lugs may be engaged with horizontally spaced perforations in the board. When articles are lifted from such larger hangers there is often a tendency for the lower portions of the body to move outwardly away from the supporting board, and this in some instances causes disengagement of the hanger from the board.

The present invention is concerned with stabilization of a peg-board hanger through the use of stabilizing means that is permanently associated with the hanger, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a hanger having stabilizing means thereon whereby the lower body portion of the hanger may be positively yet releasably held against forward displacement with respect to the board.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sta bilized peg-board hanger that is adapted for mounting of the hanger of the peg-board in a novel manner and in such a way that the hanger is releasably held against side to side displacement and against forward displacement with respect to the board.

Another important object is to provide a stabilized pegboard hanger wherein shiftable stabilizing means on the body of the hanger have a coordinated relation to the supporting or anchoring means so as to be engaged with the board in the same movement as the anchoring means, and which may then be shifted to a stabilizing relation.

A related object is to provide a hanger with the upper anchoring arms extending in a lateral direction and having a stabilizing hook on the body of the hanger that may be rotated into one position for mounting of the hanger, and into another position for holding the hanger in place and in a stabilized relation on the board.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof, and what is now considered to be the best mode in which to apply these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stabilized peg-board hanger of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the hanger;

FEG. 3 is a front elevational view of the hanger;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view showing the shiftable anchoring means of the hanger, the view being taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the first step in mounting the hanger on a peg-board;

1 FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the way in which the shiftable anchoring means is moved to its effective relation;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line S-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the portion of the body of the hanger of FIG. 7; and e FIGS. and 11 are perspective views showing additional alternative embodiments of the invention.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is herein illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 as embodied in a hanger 11 that may be readily and easily mounted in a stabilized relation in its position of use on a peg-board 12. The peg-board 12 is of conventional form and construction. The peg-board 12 is made from a relatively rigid sheet of material such as hard board, and is provided with a grid-like pattern of perforations 14- wherein the perforations are arranged in horizontal and vertical lines spaced equally from each other. The peg-board 12 may be of the usual A; inch thickness with the perforations 14 being about /8 inch in diameter and at a spacing of one inch.

The hanger 11 is shown as being formed basically from a single length of wire, to provide an elongated straight body 15 with a projecting support at its lower end in the form of a book 16, and under the present invention, rigid anchoring means 17 and shiftable anchoring means 18 are provided at spaced points along the body 15 for cooperation with two adjacent vertically spaced perforations '14 in mounting the hanger 11 in a stabilized relation on a peg-board. As herein shown the rigid anchoring means 17 are formed at the upper end of the body 15, and such rigid anchoring means 17 comprises a rearwardly extended shank 17S perpendicular to the body 15 for cooperation with two adjacent vertically spaced perforations 14 in mounting the hanger 11 in a stabilized relation on a peg-board. As herein shown the rigid anchoring means 17 are formed at the upper end of the body 15, and such rigid anchoring means 17 comprises a rearwardly extended shank 17S perpendicular to the body 15 and in the plane of the support or hook 16, and the shank 178 extends rearwardly for a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the board 12 and has a short laterally projecting arm 17A at its rear end so that this arm is located in a plane parallel to the body 15 and perpendicular to the plane of the book 16.

Under the present invention, the shiftable anchoring means 18 are arranged so that when the anchoring means 17 is engaged with a particular perforation 14 of the peg-board, the anchoring means 18 may also be engaged with the next lower perforation in the board. The shiftable anchoring means 18 are shown in detail in a preferred form in FIG. 4 of the drawings, and it will be noted that the anchoring means 18 provide a rotatable shank 20 that may be located within a perforation 14 on the board, and at the rear end of the shank 20 a laterally projecting arm 21 is provided. The shank 20 is arranged to extend through and then rearwardly from the body 15 of the hanger, and this is accomplished by flattening an appropriate area of the body 15 as at 15F and forming an opening 22 in this flattened portion through which a portion of the shank 20 may rotatably extend. In the present instance, the shank 20 has its outer or forward end reduced as at 20R, and has an operating head 20H formed on its forward end. The head is provided with a transverse kerf 23 so that the anchoring means 18 may be rotated about the axis of the shank 20 thereof.

When the perforation 22 is initially formed in the flattened portion 15F of the body, this perforation is made large enough so that the arm 21 and the shank 20 may be moved endwise through the opening, and the flattened portion 15F is then compressed from opposite sides toward the axis of the reduced portion 20R so that the rear face of the flattened portion will engage an annular shoulder 208 that is formed at the rear end of the reduced portion 20R. Preferably, a spring washer 25 is disposed about the reduced portion of the shank 20 between the head 20H and the forward face of the flattened portion 15F, thus to urge the shank 20 in forward direc tion and act frictionally to retard rotative displacement of the shank 20.

When the hanger 1'1 is to be put in place on a pegboard, the anchoring means 18 are rotated so that the arm 21 thereof projects in the same direction as the arm 17A of the fixed anchoring means. With the parts in this relation, the two arms 17A and 21 may be inserted rearwardly through two adjacent perforations 14 and the peg-board, and then by rotating the hanger about a vertical axis, the hanger 11 is brought into the position shown in FIG. 6. The anchoring means 18 are then rotated through about 180 as by means of a screw driver S, FIG. 6, so that the arm 21 projects in a direction opposite to the direction of the arm 17A. The hanger 11 is then held against rotative displacement about its vertical axis, and is firmly anchored and stabilized upon the peg-board. The hanger itself may be removed quite readily by rotating the anchoring means 18 to the relationship shown in FIG. 5, and rotating the entire hanger about a vertical axis from the position of FIG. 6 to the position of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 7 such an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown, and this alternative embodiment differs from the structure shown in FIG. 1 primarily in the specific way in which the anchoring means '18 are formed and associated with the body of the hanger. Thus, in FIG. 7, a hanger 11 has a fixed upper anchoring means 17 of the kind and form heretofore described, and has a shiftable anchoring means 118 associated with the body 15 of the hanger downwardly from the anchoring means 17. In this instance also, the body 15 of the hanger has a flattened portion F, and as shown in FIG. 9, the flattened portion has an opening 122 therein of somewhat diamond shaped form for purposes that will become apparent hereinafter. In this instance, the anchoring means 18 are formed from resilient Wire bent near its midportion to provide the arm 121 with shank wires 120$ extended in spaced relation from the portion of the Wire that forms the arm 121 so as to form a shank 120. The shank Wires 1208 are disposed at substantially right angles to the spaced parallel portion of the wire that forms the arm 121 so that these shank wires 1205 may extend in spaced relation through the opening 122 of the body 15 and through a perforation 14 of a peg board. The shank wires 1208 have loops 120L at their forward ends that are arranged to bear against a washer 125 which in turn bears against the forward face of the flattened body portion -115F. The washer 125 has an opening therein that corresponds in form with the form of the opening 122.

With this arrangement, the anchoring means 118 may be rotated so that the arm 121 projects in the same direction as the arm 17A of the fixed anchoring means, and when the parts are in this relation the mounting operation may be performed in the same manner as hereinbefore described. Then, after the hanger 11 is in place, the anchoring means 118 may be rotated to the position shown in FIG. 7 wherein the arm 121 projects in a direction opposite to the arm 175, the hanger 1 1 is then located and held in a stabilized relation on the peg-board. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 the resilience that was provided by the spring 25 in the embodiment of FIG. 1, is provided by the resilience of the wire from which the anchoring means 118 is made. The shank wires 120$ of the shank 120, when rotated within the opening 122 tend to remain in engagement with the ends 12213 of the opening 122. This action causes the anchoring means 118 to snap into and remain in either its locking or releasing position.

In the embodiments of the invention thus far described the mounting and dismounting of the hangers are accompanied by rotation of the hanger about a vertical axis, but in FIGS. 10 and 11, alternative embodiments of the invention are illustrated where both the fixed anchoring means and the shiftable anchoring means are disposed along the upper edge of the hangers so that the mounting and dismounting operations are performed by rotating or rocking the hangers about a horizontal axis at the upper edge of the hanger bodies.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 10, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a rack type hanger 211 that has a body 215 with a plurality of forwardly projecting supports 216 in the form of pairs of vertically aligned horizontally disposed loops into which tools such as screw drivers, pliers and the like may be inserted. The body 215 includes a pair of horizontal wires 215H behind which three vertical wires 215V are disposed in equally spaced relation and are welded to the wires 2151-1, the pairs of loops that form the supports are formed on opposite ends of a U-shaped wire member having a vertical cross member 2 16C that is Welded to the wires 215H. The two wires 215V that are near the ends of the body 215 are formed at their upper ends to provide a pair of rearwardly projecting rigid anchoring means 217, and intermediate the means 217 and on the upper end of the upper or middle wire 215V shiftable anchoring means 218 are provided. The anchoring means 217 and 213 are arranged in a horizon tal line and are so spaced that all three anchoring means may be engaged at the same time with three perforations 14 of a horizontal row. In the present the spacing of the anchoring means in FIG. adapts the anchoring means for engagement with three perforations 14 that have several intermediate perforations therebetween. The rigid anchoring means 217 are in each instance formed integrally at the upper ends of the wires 215V by a rearwardly extended shank 217$ perpendicular to the rear face of the body 215, and at its rear end the shank 2178 has an upwardly projecting arm 217A. It is particularly pointed out that the rigid anchoring means 217 are thus of well known and conventional form, and further that it is by the cooperation of such conventional anchoring means with the shiftable anchoring means 218 that the novel and improved stabilization of the hanger 211 is attained under the present invention.

Thus, the shiftable anchoring means 218 is mounted in .an opening that is formed in a flattened portion 215]? at the upper end of the middle wire 215V, and in this emhodiment of the invention the shiftable anchoring means is of simplified form. The anchoring means 218 has a shank 220 that extends from a kerfed head 220E, and the shank 220 extends through the opening in the portion 215E with a relatively snug fit. The shank 220 is inserted through the opening while in straight form, and is then bent laterally to provide an arm 221.

The shifta-ble anchoring means 218 may thus be turned about the axis of the shank 220 so that its arm 221 projects upwardly and conforms with the positioning of the arms 217A, and with the parts in this relation, the arms 217A and the arm 221 may he inserted rearwardly into a set or horizontal row of perforations 14 of a board, and the body 215 of the hanger may then be rotated or rocked downwardly about a horizontal axis and into its position of use; The 'shiftable anchoring means 218 is then rotated so that its arm 221 projects downwardly, and this serves to hold the body 215 against undesired outward swinging movement.

In the forms shown in FIG. 11, a hanger 311 has a body 315 formed by a U-shaped wire 315U and a cross or horizontal wire 3-15H that extends across the open upper end of the U and is welded thereto. The upper ends of the U-shaped wire 315U are bent so as to extend forwardly to form arms 316 which provide a support for a shelf or for a fiat object. At its opposite ends the horizontal wire 315H has fixed anchoring means 317 while at the middle of the wire 315H a perforated fiattened portion 315E is formed in which a shiftable anchoring means 313 is provided that is the same form and construction a the anchoring means 218. The anchoring means 317 are of the same form as the anchoring means 217. It will be noted that the anchoring means 317 and 318 are spaced to engage three horizontally adjacent perforations in a peg-board, the operation being the same as that described in connection with FIG. l0.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new and improved pegboard hanger that embodies stabilizing means whereby the proper functioning of the hanger is assured. It will also be apparent that the present peg-board hanger is adapted for mounting or removal from a peg-board in a novel and improved manner.

Thus while preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appending claims.

I claim:

1. A peg-board hanger comprising a vertically elongated body having a rigid support extended forwardly therefrom, fixed anchoring means on the body comprising an integral first shank extended rearwardly from the body and an integral arm extended from the end of the shank at right angles to said first shank, said body at a point spaced from said fixed anchoring means having a shiftable anchoring means mounted thereon and extended rearwardly beyond said body parallel to said first shank and having a second arm thereon at its rear end disposed at right angles to said second shank, said second shank having operating means at its forward end for rotating said second shank from a mounting position wherein said second arm projects in the same direction as said first arm to a locking position wherein said second arm is displaced about 180 from said mounting position.

2. A peg-board hanger according to claim 1 in which said second shank is held against axial displacement relative to the body of the hanger.

3. A peg-board hanger according to claim 1 wherein said second shank, said second arm and said operating means are formed as a single unit from a single length resilient wire.

4. A peg-board hanger comprising a vertically elongated body having a rigid support extended. in a forward direction therefrom, fixed anchoring means at the upper end of the body comprising an integral first shank extended at right angles to the body and an integral arm extended from the end of the shank at right angles to the body and said shank, said body at a point spaced downwardly from the upper end thereof having a shiftablc anchoring means mounted thereon and comprising a second shank extended rearwardly through and beyond said body parallel to said first shank and having a second arm thereon at its rear end disposed at right angles to said second shank, said second shank having means at its forward end for rotating said second shank from a mounting position wherein said second arm projects in the same direction as said first arm to a locking position wherein said second arm is displaced substantially more than from said mounting position, and spring means acting to hold said second shank against displacement from the rotative position to which it has been turned.

5. A peg-board hanger comprising a vertically elongated body having a rigid support extended forwardly therefrom, fixed anchoring means at the upper end of the body comprising an integral first shank extended at right angles to the body in the plane of the support and an integral arm extended from the end of the shank at right angles to the body and said shank, said body at a point spaced downwardly from the upper end thereof being flattened and having an opening therethrough parallel to said first shank, a shiftable anchoring means mounted in said opening and comprising a second shank extended rearwardly through said opening and beyond said body parallel to said first shank and having a second arm thereon at its rear end disposed at right angles to said second shank, said second shank having means at its forward end for rotating said second shank from a mounting position wherein said second arm projects in the same direction as said first arm to a locking position wherein said second arm is displaced about 180 from said mounting position.

6. In a peg-board hanger, an elongated body adapted to be disposed in a vertical position in front of a pegboard and having a support thereon projecting forwardly therefrom, a pair of shanks extending rearwardly from the body in positions spaced apart vertically a distance equal to the spacing of perforations in peg-board, arms integral with and perpendicular to the respective shanks at the rear ends of the shanks, one of said shanks being fixed with respect to the body and having its arm located in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the support, and the other of said shanks being rotatable about'its axis to locate its arm in either a mounting position or a locking position.

7. In a peg-board hanger, an elongated body adapted to be disposed in a vertical position in front of a pegboard and having a support thereon projecting forwardly therefrom, a pair of shanks extending rearwardly from the body in positions spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of perforations in peg-board, arms integral with and perpendicular to the respective shanks at the rear ends of the shanks, one of said shanks being fixed with respect to the body and having its arm located in a plane peripendicular to the plane of the support, and the other of said shanks being formed from resilient wire and being rotatable about its axis to locate its arm in either a mounting position or a locking position.

8. In a peg-board hanger, an elongated body adapted to be disposed in a vertical position in front of a peg-board and having a support thereon projecting forwardly therefrom, a pair of shanks extending rearwardly from the body in positions spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of perforations in peg-board, arms integral with and perpendicular to the respective shanks at the rear ends of the respective shank, one of the shanks being located at the upper end of the body and being fixed with respect to the body and having its arm located in a plane perpendicular to the plane of support, and the other of said shanks being extended through the body for rotation about the axis of the shank for locating the arm thereof selectively in a mounting position wherein such arm projects in the same direction as the arm of the other anchoring means, or to a locking position wherein such arm projects in an opposite direction.

9. A peg-board hanger comprising an elongated body having rigid support means extended forwardly therefrom, a pair of fixed anchoring means in horizontally spaced positions at the upper end of the body and each comprising an integral first shank extended rearwardly at right angles to the body in the plane of the support and an integral arm extended upwardly from the end of the shank at right angles to said shank, said body at a point spaced intermediate said fixed anchoring means having a flattened portion having an opening therethrough parallel to said first shanks, a shiftable anchoring means mounted in said opening and comprising a second shank extended rearwardly through said opening and beyond said body parallel to said first shanks and having a second arm thereon at its rear end disposed at right angles to said second shank, said second shank having means at its forward end for rotating said second shank from a mounting position wherein said second arm projects in the same direction as said first arms to a locking position wherein said second arm is displaced about 180 from said mounting position.

10. In a peg-board hanger, an elongated body adapted to be disposed in position in front of a peg-board and having a support thereon projecting forwardly therefrom, a pair of shanks extending rearwardly from the body in positions spaced apart a distance equal to a multiple of the spacing of perforations in peg-board, arms integral with and perpendicular to the respective shanks at the rear ends of the shanks, one of said shanks being fixed with respect to the body and the other of said shanks being rotatable about the axis to locate its arm in either a mounting position wherein it projects in the same direction as the arm of the fixed shank or a locking position wherein its arm projects in the opposite direction.

11. A peg-board hanger comprising a body adapted to have its rear face rest against such a board and having a rigid support extended in a forward direction therefrom, a plurality of fixed anchoring means at spaced points along the upper end of the body and each comprising an integral first shank extended at right angles to the body and an integral arm extended from the end of the shank at right angles to the said shank and in an upward direction, said body at a point spaced from said fixed anchoring means and in a line therewith having a shiftable anchoring means mounted thereon and comprising a rotatable shank extended rearwardly through and beyond said body parallel to said first shank and having a locking arm thereon at its rear end disposed at right angles to said rotatable shank, said second shank having means at its forward end for rotating said second shank from a mounting position wherein said locking arm projects upwardly to a locking position wherein said locking arm projects downwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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