GB2310365A - Bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

A bracket intended to support a curtain pole comprises a base part (11) (Figure 4) adapted to be secured to a surface (10) and a bracket part (12) (Figure 2) engageable over the base part, in use, to conceal it from view at the surface. The base part has a flange (21) securable to the surface by fixing means passing through holes (25) in the flange and/or a hole (24) at the inner end of a hollow spigot (22) extending centrally from the flange. The flange (21) and the spigot (22) are received in a recess (17) and socket (18) respectively in the bracket part and a screw fixing means is employed, in use, through a bore (20) in the bracket part and an aligned bore (26, 27) in the spigot to secure the bracket part and the base part together.

Description

BRACKET This invention relates to a bracket, principally a bracket for supporting a pole along which curtain support rings can slide to support a curtain at a position at or adjacent the surface to which the bracket is fixed, in use.

As used herein, the term 'pole' includes both metallic and wooden poles and rods, whether tubular or solid, all of circular or part-circular cross section.

An object of the invention is to provide such a bracket which is improved in relation to its fixing to said surface.

According to the present invention, a bracket, for supporting, for example, a curtain pole, comprises a base part for securement to a surface, a bracket part having support means, for supporting, for example, the curtain pole, the bracket part being engageable, in use, with the base part secured to said surface to conceal the base part from view, and fixing means for passing through the bracket part to secure it to the base part, in use.

Preferably the base part is a plastics material element having a spigot extending from one side of a flange which is for securement to said surface, the spigot being received in an aperture in said bracket part, in use, when the bracket part is engaged with the base part.

Desirably an end of the bracket part which engages said surface, in use, has a recess to receive said flange, said aperture extending inwardly of the bracket part from said recess to receive said spigot.

Conveniently a bore extends through the bracket part from the exterior thereof into said aperture, and said spigot has a bore therein, so that with said bores aligned a fixing element can be received therein to secure the bracket part to the base part.

Advantageously the base part is secured to said surface, in use, by fixing elements passing through holes therein spaced outside and around said spigot, and/or alternatively by a single fixing element received through a hollow central part of the spigot and passing through a hole in the spigot aligned with said hollow central part, but of smaller diameter.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a bracket of the invention, shown secured at a wall surface, Figure 2 is a view of a further side of one component of the bracket, at 90" therearound from Figure 1, Figure 3 is a top plan view of a further component of the bracket, and Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the further component on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The bracket shown in the drawings is intended to be fixed to a wall surface, such as that shown at 10, to support a conventional form of wooden curtain pole, on which curtain-supporting rings are slidable, in use. However a bracket of the invention could be for supporting elements other than curtain poles, with its supporting part appropriately shaped to support the particular element to be carried by the bracket.

With the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the bracket is made up of two components, namely a base part 11 which is adapted to be secured to the wall surface 10, and a decorative bracket part 12 which has a portion thereof to receive the wooden curtain pole therethrough, and a further portion which, as will be explained in greater detail below, is adapted to fit over the base part 11 and to be secured thereto to retain the bracket part 12 at the wall surface 10. In use, two or more of the brackets are arranged along the wall surface to provide full support for the curtain pole.

The bracket part 12, shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be of any suitable material, but is typically made of wood, for example rubberwood, with a decorative finish. The bracket part 12 has a generally cylindrical configuration at one of its ends, the exterior thereof being shaped, for example, to define three concentric ring forms 13. Extending from this end of the bracket part 12 is a central circular-section necked portion 14, which leads to the other of the ends of the bracket part 12, this other end being of part-spherical shape with a circular section opening 15 therethrough to receive the circular-section curtain pole as a loose fit. A stepped bore 16 extends through one side of this other end of the bracket part 12, from the exterior thereof, for a reception of a screw to engage the curtain pole passing through the opening 15, thereby to fix it relative to the bracket.

At said one end of the bracket part 12, the outer, circular surface thereof is formed with a central cylindrical recess 1 7 which is open to said one end of the bracket part. Extending inwards from the recess 17, and concentric therewith, is a smaller diameter socket 18. Figure 2 shows that this socket terminates in a further, concentric, smaller diameter bore 19, although this can be omitted. The socket 18 extends inwards of the bracket part 12 substantially to the level of the commencement of the necked portion 14. A stepped bore 20 extends through said one end of the bracket part 12 at the position of the ring forms 13 from the exterior thereof, the bore 20 braking into the socket 18 and being for reception of a fixing element, for example a screw, to engage with the base part 11, in use, as will hereinafter be described.

The base part 11 is preferably of plastics material, for example glass filled nylon, and comprises a cylindrical flange 21 from one side of which a central hollow cylindrical spigot 22 concentrically extends. The interior of the spigot defines a circular-section passage 23 which communicates with a countersunk bore 24 concentrically arranged, relative to the passage 23, in the flange 21, the bore extending through the whole thickness thereof. Additionally three further countersunk bores 25 extending through the depth of the flange 21 are equi-angularly arranged in the part of the flange around and outside the spigot, as best shown in Figure 3. All the countersunk bores, 24 and 25 are for reception of associated fixing screws to secure the base part 11 to the wall surface 10, by the conventional use of wall plugs.The three bores 25 can be used where it is wished to allow for some margin of error in the fixing process, with the single countersunk bore 24 alternatively being used where allowance for the margin or error is deemed unnecessary. Instead of providing bores for use with fixing screws, the flange of the base part could alternatively be securable to the surface by (contact) adhesive, originally protected by a peeloff strip, or by other adhesive means.

The spigot 22 has two small circular section radial bores 26, 27 respectively therethrough, the bores facing one another and thus lying on a common diameter, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. As best shown in Figure 3 these bores can lie, in plan, on the same diametral line through the base part 11 as one of the further countersunk bores 25.

The base part 11 is shaped and sized so that its flange 21 is a close fit in the recess 17 in the one end of the bracket part 12, with its spigot 22 similarly being a relatively close fit in the aperture defined by the socket 18, this socket being somewhat deeper than the length of the spigot. As the thickness of the flange 21 is slightly less than the depth of the recess 17, the base part is concealed from view, in use, when, as will be explained, the bracket is fixed at the wall surface 10.

By fitting said one end of the bracket part 12 onto the base part 11 with the bore 20 rotationally adjusted into alignment with the countersunk bore 25 which is aligned with the bore 27, the bore 20 is automatically placed in alignment with the bore 27, so that a screw can be passed into the bore 20 and screwed up to engage in the bore 27, thereby securing the base part 11 to the bracket part 12. Alternatively the bracket part 12 could be fitted randomly onto the base part 11 and then rotationally adjusted by trial and error until the bore 20 comes into alignment with either the bore 26 or 27, to allow the parts 11 and 12 to be connected together by use of a fixing screw as described. Instead of engaging in a bore such as 26 or 27, the screw passing through the bore 20 could instead merey tightly engage against the outer periphery of the spigot 22.

Accordingly, in use, the position at which the bracket is to be secured to the wall surface is selected, and an appropriate number of holes are drilled and plugged in the surface 10 to match either the single bore 24 and/or the further bores 25. The base part 10 is then presented up to the wall surface with the bore or bores therein being over the plugged hole or holes in the wall surface 10 and one or more fixing screws are then passed through the bore or bores in the base part 11 into the wall plugs, thereby tightly to secure the base part in position at the wall surface.

The bracket part 12 is then presented up to the base part 11, in either of the ways described, but preferably with the stepped bore 20 rotationally aligned with the bore 26 or 27, or, more likely, with the one of the bores 25 aligned therewith. The end of the bracket part 12 is then engaged over the base part 11 with the spigot 22 being received in the socket 18 and the flange 21 being wholly received within the recess 17, so that the end of the bracket part 12 engages against the wall surface 10, thereby completely concealing the base part 11 from view. A fixing screw is then, as described, engaged in the stepped bore 20 and screwed up to engage in the aligned bore 26 or 27, thereby securing the bracket part 12 securely to the base part 11, and thus securely to the wall surface 10.With the curtain pole received through the opening 15, a screw can then be engaged in the stepped bore 16 and screwed up so that it engages the curtain pole and secures it relative to the fixed bracket.

Normally the bores 16 and 20 would be uppermost when the bracket is secured to a vertical wall surface, and thus not visible in use, with the opening 15 horizontal.

Accordingly a bracket according to the invention is convenient and easy to use, with the non-decorative wall fixing part being totally concealed from view, in use. The base part can be produced relatively easily and non-extensively, thereby providing a further advantage. It will be appreciated that the invention is concerned generally with the fixing of a bracket to a wall surface, so that the bracket support means, and the item to be supported can be of any form, the bracket not being limited to a curtain pole support bracket.

Claims (12)

1. A bracket, for supporting, for example, a curtain pole, comprising a base part for securement to a surface, a bracket part having support means, for supporting, for example, the curtain pole, the bracket part being engageable, in use, with the base part secured to said surface to conceal the base part from view, and fixing means for passing through the bracket part to secure it to the base part, in use.

2. A bracket as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the base part is received in the interior of the bracket part, in use, to conceal the base part from view, when an end of the bracket part engages said surface.

3. A bracket as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the base part has a first portion adapted to be secured to said surface, and a second portion, extending from the first portion, adapted to be engaged by said fixing means.

4. A bracket as claimed in Claim 3, wherein upon engagement of the bracket part with the base part said second portion is received in an interior socket of the bracket part and said first portion is received in a recess which extends from said socket to said end of the bracket part.

5. A bracket as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein said bracket part has a bore extending from its exterior surface to said socket, and a further bore is provided in the periphery of said second portion of the base part, so that when the bracket part is engaged with said base part with said bore and said further bore co-axially aligned, said fixing means can be received in said aligned bores to secure the bracket part to the base part.

6. A bracket as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said second portion has a plurality of said further bores spaced around its periphery.

7. A bracket as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the first portion is a flange and the second portion is a hollow spigot extending from one side of the flange.

8. A bracket as claimed in Claim 7, wherein a plurality of holes are provided through the flange outside and around the spigot to receive fixing elements, in use, for securing the flange to said surface.

9. A bracket as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein a central hole is provided through the flange at the centre of the spigot to receive a fixing element, in use, for securing the flange to said surface.

10. A bracket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base part is of plastics material.

11. A bracket as claimed in Claim 7 when appended to Claim 5, wherein the flange is cylindrical, the spigot has a cylindrical outer periphery, and the recess and socket are of matching shape thereto respectively, so that relative angular movement can be effected between the base part and the bracket part engaged therewith, in use, in order to align said bore and said further bore to receive said fixing means.

12. A bracket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said support means of the bracket part is a circular section opening for reception of a correspondingly circular section curtain pole therethrough.

1 3. A bracket for supporting, for example, a curtain pole, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.