Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-25
2002-12-17
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C248S467000, C248S683000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06494424
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to structures for removably securing a container to a substantially planar supporting surface. In particular, the present invention relates to structures which permit the placement and removal of a container, or other item having width, depth, and thickness, to a supporting surface in such a manner that the structure is retained in a position which is out of sight until such time as the container or other item having width, depth, and thickness, is to be removed from its supporting surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
People have always wanted to mount objects to supporting surfaces. Typically, such mounting of objects to supporting surfaces is, for example, hanging paintings on walls, placing calendars or posters or the like on a wall, putting clocks and decorative items in place, and so on. Sometimes this is accomplished by driving nails or screws into the wall, or by the use of adhesive tape, and so on. Indeed, there is a myriad of different ways of hanging or securing items in place on a supporting surface.
However, there are some supporting surfaces which, for a variety of reasons, do not invite or permit items to be secured to them. Mirrors and glass windows are such an example, as well as relatively thin structures such as medicine cabinet doors and the like where it is impossible to place a nail or screw due to the lack of material to grasp the nail or screw to hold it in place. Of course, except carefully and very skilfully, it is not possible to place a nail or screw through a glass structure such as a mirror or window.
Other means for securing items in place include adhesive and gummed tapes, hanging devices, and so on.
None of these devices, however, is deemed to be satisfactory in many instances, particularly instances where the item to be secured to a supporting surface is to be removably secured so it can be taken away at a later time.
For example, if nails or screws are used to secure any item to a wall, and the nail or screw is later removed, an unsightly hole may be left. Likewise, if a gummed or adhesive hanger is to be used, and later removed, it may take the paint with it.
Of course on glass or mirrors, and the like, the use of gummed or adhesive tapes may result in the gum or adhesive being left on the surface after the securing tape has been removed. Such circumstance is unsightly, and may require further treatment so as to remove the residue.
Several products have been introduced to the market, particularly by 3-M Company in association with the trade-mark COMMAND™. The items which are being marketed are, in particular, plastic strips which are intended for placing posters on the wall, or hooks which may be removably secured to a wall, without damage to the wall in any event. However, when these adhesive strips or devices having adhesive strips are used, there always remains a removal tab which is grasped to stretch the tape and thereby de-laminate it from the supporting surface against which it has been placed. The adhesive strip may or may not be removable from the item to which it has been attached.
In any event, the removal tab which forms an integral part of the adhesive strips is unsightly. It is possible to secure a poster to a wall in such a manner that the adhesive strips are totally covered, but in that case there may be a tendency for the bottom edge of the poster to curl.
There may also be circumstances where it is desirable to place a container or other device which has width, depth, and thickness, in a manner such that it is removably secured to a substantially planar supporting surface. Such circumstances may, indeed, include the mounting of framed pictures, holders for writing or cooking utensils, magnifying mirrors for use when applying makeup or inserting or removing contact lenses, placing decorative items on windows or mirrors, or placing such items as dental floss dispensers on bathroom mirrors or on the back surface of a medicine cabinet door. In all of those instances, the item to be removably secured to a substantially planar supporting surface exhibits the characteristics of having width, depth, and thickness, and may be a container or other item as suggested above. In any event, the use of adhesive strips having the necessary characteristic that they permit removable securement to a substantially planar supporting surface, especially without damage to the supporting surface or without leaving a residue, is to be commended; but until now use of such adhesive strips may not necessarily be acceptable, due to the presence of an unsightly removal tab.
On the other hand, it is generally desirable that at least a small portion of the removal tab should be either visible or at least very easily accessible, so that when it is desired to remove the container or other item by de-adhering the plastic adhesive strip from the supporting surface, the removal tab and its intended purpose will be available and understandable to the user.
Until now, any advertising that is currently known in publications and is particularly on television which promotes the stretchable and removable adhesive plastic strips, has clearly indicated the evident and unsightly presence of the removal tab.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a structure for removal of a container or other item from a substantially planar supporting surface, in such a manner that the graspable removal tab is folded forwardly and generally out of sight from the substantially planar supporting surface to which the container or other item has been removably secured, by providing a means for retaining the graspable removal tab in a folded and generally out of sight condition which extends forwardly from a substantially planar back face of the container or item being removably secured to the substantially planar supporting surface.
An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide for such a structure as described immediately above, whereby the structure can be employed to secure a container or item to a substantially planar supporting surface by employing a flexible plastic tape, but retaining a graspable removal tab in a generally out of sight condition after the container or other item has been mounted in place.
To that end, therefore, the present invention provides a structure for removably securing a container or other item having width, depth, and thickness, to a substantially planar supporting surface in such a manner that a portion of the structure is retained in a position which is generally out of sight but from which that portion may be put into an operable position. Thus, the container or other item to be removably secured to a substantially planar supporting surface has a substantially planar back face which is to be placed adjacent a substantially planar supporting surface, and it has at least one substantially planar container thickness defining face which extends forwardly from the substantially planar back face.
The structure comprises a flexible plastic tape having an adhesive coating on at least a first portion of each of the first and second sides thereof, and having a second portion at a first end of each of the first and second sides where there is no adhesive coating adhered thereto.
The first side of the flexible plastic tape is adhered to the substantially planar back face of the container at the first portion of the tape. The second portion of the flexible plastic tape forms a graspable tab to facilitate removal of the container or other item from a planar supporting surface when it has been adhered thereto by the adhesive coating on the second side of the tape. De-adherence of the flexible plastic tape at least from the planar supporting surface is achieved by stretching the tape by grasping the graspable tab.
The structure in keeping with the present invention further comprises retaining means for the graspable tab.
The retaining means is located on the at least one substantially planar container thickness defining face, for releasably retaining the graspable tab in a folded and a
Dickie Robert G.
Tierney Kirk
King Anita
Le Tan
LandOfFree
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