Pivotable Wall Fastener with Cam-Activated Toggle for Minimal Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fasteners for hollow walls and ceilings often require pre-drilled holes, leading to damage, unsightly holes, and reduced load-bearing capacity, and lack ease of use and tool-free installation options.
Innovation Solution
A flat, knife-like fastener with a proximal wall-anchor section and a pivotable distal section joined by an integral hinge, allowing for hammer-driven installation without pre-drilling, and easy removal with minimal wall damage, using a pin or screw to pivot the distal section against the wall for secure anchoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-drilled hole is used for fastener installation, then the fastener can be securely anchored, but the wall material is damaged and an unsightly hole remains
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is divided into two functional segments: a flat anchor body that remains in the wall and a toggle member that extends into the hollow cavity. This segmentation allows the anchor to be installed without pre-drilling while still providing secure anchoring through the toggle mechanism that spreads within the cavity space.
Solution Approach 2:
The toggle member is designed to be movable relative to the anchor body, transitioning from a compressed state during installation to an expanded state for anchoring. This dynamic transformation allows the fastener to achieve secure anchoring without requiring a pre-drilled hole, as the toggle member self-adjusts to the wall thickness and cavity space.
2Reliability
If a toggle fastener with spreading arms is used, then secure anchoring is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor body and toggle member are merged into a single integrated fastener unit that can be installed as one piece. The hinge connection between the anchor body and toggle member is formed as a single structural element rather than requiring separate components, simplifying the overall device while maintaining the toggle anchoring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener is designed to self-adjust and self-anchor during installation. The toggle member automatically spreads within the hollow cavity when the fastener is inserted, requiring no additional activation steps or complex assembly operations by the user, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable anchoring.
3Reliability
If a screw is used to activate the anchor, then secure anchoring is achieved, but the installation requires tools and is not tool-free
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is designed to be self-activating during insertion. As the fastener is hammered or pushed into the wall, the toggle member automatically compresses and then springs open within the hollow cavity, achieving anchoring without requiring screw activation or any other tools. The installation process itself activates the anchoring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The toggle member is pre-configured in a compressed state within the fastener body, ready to automatically expand upon insertion. This preliminary configuration allows the anchoring action to occur automatically during the insertion process, eliminating the need for subsequent screw activation or tool-based operations.
4Ease of operation
If the anchor component is hammered directly into the wall, then tool-free installation is achieved, but the wallboard material may be crushed
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener separates the anchoring function from the insertion function. The flat anchor body provides a small insertion profile that minimizes wallboard disturbance during hammering, while the toggle member provides the actual anchoring force within the hollow cavity, preventing wallboard crushing by avoiding direct compression of the wall material.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow cavity acts as an intermediary space that allows the toggle member to expand and anchor without directly compressing the wallboard. This intermediary space enables tool-free installation by hammering while preventing wallboard crushing, as the anchoring force is applied within the cavity rather than directly to the wall material.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a secure, easy-to-use fastener that can be installed and removed without significant wall damage, offering superior holding strength and accommodating various pin sizes, with a minimal hole left in the wall, and can be activated by toggling a member behind the wall rather than spreading and crushing the wallboard material.
Implementation Method 1
a pivotable distal section or tip, the two sections being joined by an integral hinge
Implementation Method 2
A cam-follower projection with a proximal surface is formed at the center of the second side of the distal portion
Data Source
AI summary
A compact wall fastener (200) comprises pivotably connected proximal and distal sections where the proximal section has a through hole (205). The distal and proximal sections (220, 222, 235) preferably are flat. The distal section has a cam follower surface (251), a point (240), and a raised portion (250) that has the cam follower surface. The fastener is driven into a wallboard (600) until its proximal surface is parallel to the surface (605) of the wallboard. An activating pin or screw (615) is inserted into the entry of the fastener and forced into contact with the cam follower and then past the raised portion, forcing the distal section to bend, thereby causing the distal section to rotate downward until it is in contact with the inside surface (610) of the wallboard. The result is a secure fastener with minimal damage to the wallboard. In addition, the fastener can be used to fasten layers of delicate or easily displaced materials (1305, 1306, 1307). The fastener can be activated by a tool (1360) that applies the activating force to the fastener only, and not the material surrounding it.