Technical Field

[001] The present invention relates to elements for hanging pictures or other items, including an element for hanging on the wall and elements for mounting on items that are to be hung on the wall.

Background

[002] There are several known ways of hanging pictures on walls using different devices, depending on the type of wall, the size, weight and type of picture etc.

[003] The simplest device is just a nail or a hook from which a picture is suspended by a wire. It is usually difficult to keep pictures hanging straight from such devices. Also, they only work for pictures that can have a wire or other hanging element mounted on the back, for cooperating with the nail or hook. They are also not suitable for very large and/or heavy pictures. Further, a picture hung in this way is often tilted in that the lower part of the picture often touches the wall while the upper part is separated from the wall, which makes it difficult to keep the whole picture at an even distance from the wall.

[004] Pictures that consist of one sheet of hard material, such as glass, plexiglass or aluminium, pose a particular challenge, in part because of their weight and in part because it is difficult or undesirable to fasten suitable cooperating elements on such pictures.

[005] In places such as galleries there is a desire to be able to hang pictures easily and removably so that it also becomes easy to change pictures for new exhibitions.

[006] It is an object of the present invention to provide means for hanging pictures from walls, which will mitigate at least some of the drawbacks mentioned above. Summary

[007] The invention relates to a wall element to be mounted on walls and to various hanging elements arranged to be mounted on pictures or other items to be hung on wall, which may interact with the wall element.

[008] In particular, the invention relates to a wall element for being attached to a wall, to interact with a hanging element to enable the hanging of an item from the wall, said wall element comprising a main flat part having a first main surface arranged to contact the wall, and a fastening profile attached to a side of the main flat part along a a joint edge, the fastening profile having a flat receiving part, displaced relative to the main flat part in such a way that when the wall element is mounted on a wall the fastening profile will be separated from the wall, extending substantially parallel to the wall.

[009] Such a wall element may be used to hang a number of different hanging elements, such as the ones described in the following, typically with display objects such as pictures attached to the hanging elements. The wall element may also be used as a hanging element, in which case two elements of the same type may be interact with each other to hang a picture or other display object securely on the wall, in the desired orientation and at an even, or controlled, distance from the wall.

[010] The wall element therefore offers a flexible element for hanging objects, which will allow the object to be displaced by a constant displacement along the wall while still hanging securely and also ensuring that it is hanging straight, or with the desired orientation.

[01 1] Preferably, along the distal side of the fastening profile seen from the main flat part there is a protrusion extending towards the side of the main flat part facing the wall, along substantially the full length of the distal side, for cooperating with a protrusion on a hanging element. This will secure the hanging element in the wall element and reduce the risk of the hanging element falling down. [012] The wall element preferably has one or more through bores in the main flat part to enable mounting by means of screws or similar fastening means. Alternatively, the wall element may be arranged to be mounted by means of an adhesive, an adhesive tape or the like.

[013] The invention also relates to a profile arranged to form part of a mounting element, said profile comprising a first elongate panel and a second elongate panel attached to each other along a joint elongate edge at a straight angle to form an elongate L-shaped profile wherein the first elongate panel has, along a second elongate edge opposing the joint edge, a first elongate fastening edge and the second elongate panel has along a second elongate edge opposing the joint edge, a second elongate fastening edge, the profile further comprising, on one of the first and the second elongate panel, a further profile feature to enable a first part of a joining element to be received and retained in the profile feature, wherein the first and the second elongate fastening edge preferably have substantially the same width.

[014] Such a profile may be shaped into different hanging elements, depending on how it is cut. The elements may have different geometrical shapes but may guarantee a constant distance between the display object and the wall.

[015] Preferably, a protrusion is arranged along each of the first and the second elongate fastening edge, to interact with the protrusion of the wall element.

[016] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first elongate panel has a width in the dimension perpendicular to the elongate edge that is greater than the width of the second elongate panel. In this way, lengths of the profile may be cut to enable the hanging of display objects at two different distances from the wall using the same profile, one distance corresponding to the width of the first elongate panel and the other distance corresponding to the width of the second elongate panel.

[017] The invention also relates to a kit of parts that may be assembled to a mounting element, comprising at least three lengths cut from a profile as defined above, and at least three joining elements, said at least three lengths being cut at an angle so that they can be joined together to form a substantially closed geometrical shape, and each joining element having a first portion arranged to be inserted into the profile feature of one of the lengths and a second portion arranged to be inserted into the profile feature of another one of the lengths, to join the two lengths together at a suitable angle to form a closed geometric shape.

[018] The invention also relates to a first hanging element arranged to interact with a wall element as described above, the hanging element comprising a first panel arranged to be attached to an item to be hung and an elongate fastening panel extending perpendicularly to the first panel and arranged to interact with the fastening profile of the wall element and a protrusion along a longitudinal edge of the fastening panel arranged to interact with the protrusion of the wall element to secure the hanging element to the fastening profile.

[019] The invention also relates to a second hanging element arranged to interact with a wall element as described above, comprising a first panel, a rib running perpendicularly along one surface of the panel in its longitudinal direction, separating the first panel into a mounting part arranged to be attached to an item to be hung, and a fastening portion arranged to be received by the fastening part of the wall element and a protrusion along the longitudinal edge of the fastening portion, arranged to interact with the protrusion of the wall element to secure the hanging profile to the fastening profile.

[020] The wall element together with the different types of hanging element allow any type of picture or other item to be hung using the same type of wall mounted element. Further, the design of the wall element and the corresponding hanging elements ensure that the pictures can be hung exactly horizontally, or with any desired orientation, and cannot easily be tilted. The design also ensures that the object will hang at an even distance from the wall. Also, both the wall element, the mounting element and the various hanging elements can be easily reused with new pictures to be hung. [021] It should be understood that although this document in some sections refers to the hanging of pictures, the profiles and hanging elements of the various

embodiments of the invention may also be used to hang any other type of item that may be attached to any of the hanging elements.

Brief Description of Drawings

[022] Embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail in the following, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure la shows a wall element according to an embodiment of the invention, for attaching to a wall or to a picture to be hung on the wall and Figure lb shows the wall element attached to a wall in a cross-sectional view. Figure lc shows an assembly using two interacting wall elements to hang a picture.

Figure 2a shows an elongate profile element according to an embodiment of the invention, which may be used to build mounting elements according to embodiments of the invention and Figure 2b shows a joining element for joining lengths of the profile together into mounting elements arranged to cooperate with the wall element of Figure la . Figures 2c and 2d show different mounting elements that may be built using the profile.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first type of mounting element according to an embodiment of the invention, cooperating with the wall element of Figure 1 a. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second type mounting element according to an embodiment of the invention, cooperating with the wall element of Figure 1 a. Figures 5a and 5b show a third type of hanging element according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 6a and 6b show a fourth type of hanging element according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description

[023] Figure la shows a wall element 10 arranged to be attached to a wall. The wall element 10 is preferably made in one piece and comprises a main flat part 1 1 having a first main surface 12 (facing away in Figure la) intended to fully contact the wall and a second main surface 13 opposing the first main surface. The main flat part 1 1 has one or more through openings 14 for inserting a fastening means such as a screw for attaching the flat part 1 1 to the wall.

[024] A fastening profile 15 is joined to one side of the main flat part 1 1 along a joint edge 16. The fastening profile has a flat receiving part 17, and a distal edge seen from the main flat part 1 1. The fastening profile 15 is displaced relative to the first flat part 1 1 in such a way that when the wall element 10 is mounted on a wall the receiving part 17 will be separated from the wall. Along the distal edge of the fastening profile 15 seen from the main flat part 1 1 , on the side that will be facing the wall when mounted, there is preferably a protrusion 18 extending along substantially the full length of the distal edge, for cooperating with a corresponding protrusion on a fastening element on a frame, a picture or the like, as will be disclosed in more detail in the following. The joint edge 16 preferably forms a ledge on which an edge of a cooperating fastening element can be supported.

[025] The wall element 10 is preferably made in one piece and preferably from aluminium, but it may be made from any suitable material, depending on the size and weight of the item it is intended to carry. Because the distal edge of the fastening profile has a two-dimensional extension, by mounting the wall element such that the distal side is horizontal, it can be guaranteed that a picture hung by means of the wall element is hung straight. If a tilt is desired, it can be controlled by the shape of the wall element or the mounting element or hanging element.

[026] Figure lb shows a cross-sectional view of the wall element 10 attached to a wall 19. As can be seen the main flat part 1 1 rests against the wall, whereas the fastening profile 15 is displaced at a distance from the wall, so that a cooperating part of a hanging element can be received between the wall 19 and the fastening profile 15, the protrusion serving to retain a profile inserted into the space between the fastening profile and the wall.

[027] Figure lc shows a simple case in which a hanging element 10' identical to the wall element 10 is used. The hanging element is fastened to a picture to be hung on the wall element, for example, through the through bore (not shown) on the hanging element or by any other suitable means, such as adhesive. The hanging element 10' is upside down relative to the wall element 10 when considering the desired orientation of the picture. The fastening profile 15' of the hanging element 10' is received between the fastening profile 15 of the wall element 10 and the wall, and respective protrusions 18, 18' of the wall element and hanging element, respectively, interact to secure the picture to the wall.

[028] As will be understood, the through bore 14 is not needed if the wall element 10 is fastened to the wall or to the picture, as the case may be, by using means that do not require a bore, for example an adhesive material.

[029] Figure 2a shows a profile 20 that may suitably be used for hanging pictures comprising one flat rigid sheet of material or other items that can be attached to the profile. The profile 20 has a first elongate panel 21 and a second elongate panel 22 attached to each other along a joint elongate edge 23 at a straight angle to form an elongate L-shaped profile having a first outer side and a second outer side. The first elongate panel 21 has a width in the dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the profile that is greater than the width of the second elongate panel 22.

[030] The first elongate panel 21 has, along a second elongate edge opposing the joint edge 23, a first elongate fastening edge 24 having a smaller width than the second panel 22. Similarly, the second elongate panel has along a second elongate edge opposing the joint edge 23, a second elongate fastening edge 25 having a smaller width than the second outer side. Preferably, the first and the second elongate fastening edges 24, 25 have substantially the same width. Along each of the first and the second elongate fastening edge, there is preferably a protrusion 26, arranged to interact with the protrusion 18 of the wall element 10. In this way, the profile may be made to interact with a wall element 10 in such a way that its first 21 or second 22 elongate panel adjoins the wall.

[031] On the inner side of the first elongate panel 21, a first 27 and a second 28 retaining element extend along the length of the profile, to form a structure for receiving a fastening element, such as the one shown in Figure 2b, as will be discussed in the following. Typically, the first elongate element 27 extends from the inner surface of the first elongate side to form an L profile and the second elongate element 28 extends from the inner surface of the first elongate panel as an I profile, in such a way that the L and the I of the elongate elements together form a canal 29 into which an arm of a joining element may be received. Naturally, the canal for receiving the arm of the joining element could be designed in any other suitable way depending on the size and dimension of the joining element. It could also be arranged on the inner side of the second elongate panel 22, however, it is preferable to arranged it on the inner side of the first elongate panel 21 , which has more room for it.

[032] The profile of Figure 2a may be made in any suitable material, depending on the size and weight of the picture to be hung, the material of the wall element with which it is to interact, to create a desired visual impression, etc. A suitable material is aluminium, but it may also be made in another metal, in wood, plastic, etc. It is preferably manufactured in an extrusion process, in lengths that may be cut as desired.

[033] The shape of the profile 20, and in particular the different widths of the first and second outer side 21, 22 and the fastening edges 24, 25 attached to the first and second outer side, enables the profile to be used for building mounting elements of two different types. More specifically, mounting elements may be made for hanging pictures at two different distances from the wall, using the same type of joining elements, and interacting with the same fastening element 10.

[034] Figure 2b shows an embodiment of a joining element 201 used to join two lengths of the profile shown in Figure 2a together. The joining element has a first and a second arm 203, 203, each having a suitable shape and dimension for inserting into the canal 29 of one length of the profile shown in Figure 2a. The angle between the arms is 90° according to a preferred embodiment, which will result in a rectangular mounting element. The joining element may have any suitable profile, including circular, square, star-shaped, octagonal, X-shaped, spline shaped or any other profile, depending on the shape and dimension of the canal 29. [035] Figure 2c discloses a first mounting element 210 that may be built from the profile 20. In this case, lenghts of the profile are cut at an angle of substantially 45° with respect to the second panel and joined together by joining elements such as the one shown in Figure 2b. This will enable four lenghts of profile to be mounted to form a rectangular shape with the first panels 21 forming outer side panels of the rectangular shape and the second panels 22 extending into and partly filling the rectangle. The resulting, first mounting element will allow pictures to be hung at an even distance from the wall corresponding to the width of the first elongate panel 21, as will be explained below.

[036] Figure 2d discloses a second mounting element 220 that may be built from the profile 20. In this case, lenghts of the profile are cut at an angle of substantially 45° with respect to the first panel and joined together by joining elements such as the one shown in Figure 2b. This will enable four lenghts of profile to be mounted as rectangular shape with the second panels 22 forming outer side panels of the

rectangular shape and the first panels 21 extending into and partly filling the rectangle. A picture to be hung on the wall can be attached to the first panels 21. The resulting, second mounting element will allow pictures to be hung at an even distance from the wall corresponding to the width of the second elongate panel 22 as will be explained below.

[037] Although Figures 2c and 2d depict mounting elements of a rectangular shape, the skilled person will realize that the mounting elements may comprise any desired number of lengths of the profile that can be built to a substantially closed geometrical shape, such as a triangle, a pentagon or a hexagon. Instead of being cut at 45 °, the lengths must then be cut at a suitable angle to enable the desired number of lengths to be joined to the desired geometrical shape. It is not strictly necessary that all lengths are cut to at the same angle; however, the angle between the arms of each joining element must be designed to fit with the angles between the lenghts, so that it is feasible to use the same angle to reduce the need for several different joining elements. For example, the lengths could be cut at 30 ° to produce a hexagon, in which case the angle between the arms of the corresponding joining element must be 60 °. [038] Figure 3 shows, in cross-section, a first mounting element 210 as shown in Figure 2c interacting with a wall element 10 such as the one shown in Figure 1 a. The wall element is fastened to a wall 19 in the same way as shown in Figure lb. Only one length of the first mounting element is shown, with its first fastening edge 24 interacting with the fastening profile 15 of the wall element. The distal sides of the first elongate panels 21 of all the profile lengths forming the mounting element 210 are supported against the wall. Although this is not shown in Figure 3, the profile lengths of the first mounting element that are not shown in the Figure will ensure that the first mounting element 210 will be hung straight against the wall, to keep the picture at an even distance from the wall corresponding to the width of the first elongate panel 21.

[039] Figure 4 shows, in cross-section, a second mounting element 220 as shown in Figure 2d interacting with a wall element 10 such as the one shown in Figure 1 a. The wall element is fastened to a wall 19 in the same way as shown in Figure lb. Only one side of the first mounting element 220 is shown, with its second fastening edge 25 interacting with the fastening profile 15 of the wall element 10. The distal sides of the second elongate panels 22 of all the profile lenghts forming the mounting element 220 are supported against the wall 19. Although this is not shown in Figure 3, the profile lenghts of the second mounting element 220 that are not shown in the Figure will ensure that the second mounting element will be hung straight against the wall, to keep the picture at an even distance from the wall corresponding to the second elongate panel 22.

[040] As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the first and second mounting elements 210, 220, made from the same profile, enable pictures to be hung on a wall at two different distances from the wall, while at the same time ensuring that the picture is hung straight and at an even distance from the wall.

[041] The picture, or other item to be hung, may be fastened to the mounting element 210, 220 in any suitable way, depending on the material, size and weight of the picture. A simple way of removably fastening pictures to hanging elements is by means of double sided adhesive tape. The picture may also be glued to the mounting element, or fastened by means of screws, nails or the like.

[042] Figure 5 a and 5b show a hanging element 51 that may interact with the wall element 10 of Figure la to hang pictures. Figure 5a shows a simple profile comprising a first panel 53, which preferably has at least two through bores 55 for attaching a frame or other edge that is to rest on the first panel 53 when attached to a wall element 10. From one longitudinal edge of the first panel, an elongate fastening panel 57 extends perpendicularly to the first panel 53. The elongate fastening panel 57 is arranged to interact with the fastening profile 15 of the wall element 10. This hanging element is suitable for frames or other items that have an edge or ridge extending backwards from the actual item, so that the edge or ridge can be mounted to the mounting part. Along the distal side of the fastening panel 57, as seen from the first panel 53, there is preferably a protrusion 58 arranged to interact with the protrusion 18 of the wall element 10 to secure the hanging element 51 to the fastening profile 15.

[043] Figure 5b shows the hanging element 51 of Figure 5a, with a horizontal portion of the picture, for example a rear portion of a frame 59, mounted on the hanging profile 51. The elongate fastening edge 57 of the hanging profile is inserted into the fastening profile 15 of the wall element 10 with the protrusions 58, 18 of the hanging profile and the fastening profile interacting to secure the picture. As can be seen, it would also be possible to mount the horizontal portion of the picture below the first panel 53, but this would result in a less attractive and less stable assembly.

[044] Figure 6a shows another type of hanging element 61 that may interact with the wall element 10 of Figure la to hang pictures. The profile of Figure 6a comprises a first panel 63 arranged to rest against the wall and preferably having at least two through bores 65 for attaching a frame or other item 66. A rib 67 runs perpendicularly along one surface of the profile in its longitudinal direction, separating the first panel 63 into a mounting part 64 having the through holes, and a fastening portion 68 arranged to be received by the fastening part 15 of the wall element 10. This type of hanging element is suitable for frames or other items that have an edge or ridge extending backwards from the actual item, so that the edge or ridge can be mounted to the mounting part. Along the longitudinal edge of the fastening portion 68, there is preferably a protrusion 69 arranged to interact with the protrusion 18 of the wall element 10 to secure the hanging profile 61 to the fastening profile 10.

[045] Figure 6b shows the hanging element 61 of Figure 6a, with a vertical portion of the picture, frame 66 or the like, mounted on the hanging profile. The elongate fastening edge 68 of the hanging profile is inserted into the fastening profile 15 of the wall element 10, with the protrusions 18, 69 of the hanging profile and the fastening profile, respectively, interacting to secure the picture.

[046] As will be understood, the bores 14, 55, 65 are not needed if another type of fastener, such as an adhesive, is used.

[047] The elements shown in Figure la, 5a and 6a may be manufactured in any suitable material, including aluminium and hard plastics such as nylon. Preferably they are manufactured in an extrusion process, or by injection moulding. They may be made in one piece, or lengths of profiles may be manufactured and then cut to the desired lengths.