Supports – Brackets – Plural – for single article
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-04
2004-03-23
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Plural, for single article
C248S068100, C248S072000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708937
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to wall mount brackets and, more particularly, to a wall-mount bracket for a well tank, which includes a base unit, a generally horizontally extending tank mounting bracket mounted on the base unit, and a generally vertical pipe mounting bracket extending generally perpendicular to the tank mount bracket for mounting a pipe thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Water wells are used in many different parts of the world and the mechanisms used to bring ground water up to the surface are generally the same regardless of the exact specifications of the well. For example, a standard water well would include a pump placed at the bottom of the well hole and water pipe extending upwards therefrom to the surface to transfer the water upwards. The water pipe extends into a water well tank mounted inside the home or business, the water well tank acting as a reserve for water in case demand for the water increases beyond the pump capacity. Traditionally, water well tanks were large units having capacities in the area of forty to one hundred gallons and were unwieldy and difficult to handle during installation. Furthermore, due to their size, water well tanks would take up a lot of space in the house, space that could certainly be used for other purposes. There was therefore a need for a water well tank which was smaller yet fulfilled the functions of the larger well tanks.
This was made possible by the use of variable speed water pumps which could react to changes in water usage on the surface by increasing or decreasing their flow rate. Because the variable speed water pumps accommodated water demand changes with greater precision than the old on/off style pumps, the size of the water tank could be decreased as the size of the water reserve could be decreased. While this improvement resulted in smaller water well tanks, a new problem arose, specifically that the small size of the tanks meant that the manufacturers did not need to supply a stand or other support device with the well tank, leaving installers to fend for themselves. There is therefore a need for an easy to use mounting device for water well tanks which mounts the tank safely and efficiently in an out-of-the-way place.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved wall mount bracket for well tanks.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall mount bracket for well tanks which includes a base unit, a generally horizontally extending tank mounting bracket mounted on the base unit, and a generally vertical pipe mounting bracket extending generally perpendicular to the tank mount bracket for mounting a pipe thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall mount bracket for well tanks which can be easily and quickly mounted to a wall surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall mount bracket for well tanks which can be modified for use with different types of well tanks and the pipe fittings connected thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall mount bracket for well tanks which includes inverted J-shaped lips for releasably securing the well tank and pipe fittings on the wall surface.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a wall mount bracket for well tanks which is relatively simple to manufacture and which is safe and durable in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a wall mount bracket for well tanks which includes a wall-engaging base structure and at least one well tank bracket mounted on the base structure and extending generally parallel to a wall upon the wall-engaging base structure being mounted thereon. At least one pipe support bracket is mounted on the well tank bracket and extends generally perpendicular thereto. Finally, each of the at least one well tank bracket and the at least one pipe support bracket each further include a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel plates each having an inverted J-shaped lip formed thereon, the inverted J-shaped lip operative to be engaged by and releasably secure one of a tank mount and a pipe mount such that a well tank and associated piping is securely and releasably mounted on the wall mount bracket for well tanks.
The wall mount bracket for well tanks as thus described clearly offers several advantages over those devices found in the prior art. The relatively simple design of the wall mount bracket for well tanks ensures that the unit will function properly for an extended lifetime. Also, because the present invention can include a number of different configurations or can also include varied bracket shapes for engagement by different tank and piping mounts, the present invention is usable in a virtually limitless number of ways. Furthermore, as the present invention will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, it will be usable and purchasable by virtually all well installers. Finally, the wall mount bracket for well tanks of the present invention is safe and durable in use. The present invention thus provides a substantial improvement over those tank mount devices found in the prior art.
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Jacobs Adam H.
King Anita
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