Mounting System

The present invention relates to systems and methods for mounting items to posts. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system having a planar surface and a hollow structure with graduated inner diameter lips, which may be positioned over posts of different sizes.

Homeowners and others often wish to mount items atop poles for functional as well as beautification reasons. Poles to which items may be mounted having varying diameters and no easy way exists for individuals to mount items such as mailboxes and bird feeders to these poles. Therefore, a need exists for a single mounting system that can be secured to poles of differing diameters.

This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.

With the above in mind, embodiments of the present invention are related to system for mounting to a post including a mounting surface and a hollow structure.

The mounting surface may be perpendicular to the post and have a planar top side and an opposing bottom side.

The hollow structure may extend from the bottom side of the mounting surface and have an interior opening. The hollow structure may include a lower end, a first lip, and a second lip. The lower end may be positioned distal the mounting surface. The first lip may be positioned about a first perimeter of the interior opening. The second lip may be positioned about a second perimeter of the interior opening. The length of the first perimeter may be greater than the length of the second perimeter. The first lip may be positioned between the second lip and the lower end. The second lip may be positioned between the first lip and the mounting surface.

The first perimeter may be annular. Alternatively, the first perimeter may be rectangular.

The system may include the post. The post may have a first end positioned within the interior opening. The post may include a polyvinyl chloride pipe or a wooden elongate member.

The post may have an outer perimeter greater than the second perimeter and less than the first perimeter.

The post may include a flange extending from the bottom side of the mounting surface, perpendicular to the mounting surface.

The flange may further include a plurality of mounting apertures formed through an entirety of a thickness of the flange.

The system may include a mounted structure proximate the mounting surface and a fastener positioned to secure the mounted structure to one of the plurality of mounting apertures.

The mounted structure may include a mailbox or a bird feeder.

The mounting surface may include a drainage aperture extending through an entirety of a thickness of the mounting surface from the top side to the bottom side.

An outer perimeter of the hollow structure may form a frustoconical profile.

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the following descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

In this detailed description of the present invention, a person skilled in the art should note that directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” and other like terms are used for the convenience of the reader in reference to the drawings. Also, a person skilled in the art should notice this description may contain other terminology to convey position, orientation, and direction without departing from the principles of the present invention.

Furthermore, in this detailed description, a person skilled in the art should note that quantitative qualifying terms such as “generally,” “substantially,” “mostly,” and other terms are used, in general, to mean that the referred to object, characteristic, or quality constitutes a majority of the subject of the reference. The meaning of any of these terms is dependent upon the context within which it is used, and the meaning may be expressly modified.

An embodiment of the invention, as shown and described by the various figures and accompanying text, provides a system for mounting to a post. The system may include a mounting surfaceand a hollow structureextending downwardly from the mounting surface. A postmay have a first end positioned within the hollow structureand a second end secured to the ground. A mounted structuremay be affixed to the mounting surface.

When the mounting surfaceis placed upon the post, the mounting surfacemay be perpendicular to the postas shown in. The mounting surfacemay have a planar top sideand an opposing bottom side. The planar top sidemay face upwardly, away from the ground. A mounted structuremay be positioned upon the mounting surface.

A hollow structuremay extend downwardly from the bottom sideof the mounting surface. The hollow structuremay define an interior opening. The exterior perimeter of the hollow structuremay form a frustoconical profile. When placed on a post, the first end of the postmay be inserted into a lower endof the hollow structureand positioned within a lower portion of the interior openingof the hollow structure. A first lipand a second lipmay be positioned about interior perimeters of the interior opening. The first lipmay be located around a first perimeter of the interior opening. The second lipmay be located around a second perimeter of the interior opening. The length of the first perimeter may be greater than the length of the second perimeter. An embodiment of the systemmay have more than two such lips formed around the interior opening. The lip closest to the lower endof the interior openingshall having the largest perimeter. Successive lips shall each have smaller perimeters as they rise closer to the mounting surface. Such a configuration allows for the hollow structureto be used with posts of varying perimeter measurements. Postswith outer perimeters greater than the second perimeter and smaller than the first perimeter may be placed into the interior openingof the hollow structureand interfere with the second lip. The end of the postinserted into the hollow structureprovides a ridge upon which the lip may rest. Postswith outer perimeters greater than the first perimeter may also be used with the system. In such an embodiment, the post may be placed into the interior openingof the hollow structureand interfere with the first lip.

The perimeters of each lip formed on an interior surface of the hollow structuremay be sized to contact the end of postshaving different circumferences. By way of example, and not as a limitation, the first lip may have a perimeter sized to rest upon an end of a 2″ diameter post inserted into the lower endof the interior opening. Again, by way of example, and not as a limitation, the second lip may have a perimeter sized to rest upon an end of a 1½″ diameter post inserted into the lower endof the interior opening. In such an exemplary embodiment, the smaller 1½″ diameter post would extend beyond the first lip without interference to contact the second lip. A 2″ diameter post inserted into the interior openingof the exemplary embodiment would contact the first lipand be unable to pass further into the hollow structure.

In one embodiment, the interior openingmay define an annular perimeter. In such an embodiment, one end of a cylindrical post, pole, tube, pipe, or the like may be positioned in the interior opening. In another embodiment, the interior openingmay define a rectangular perimeter. In such an embodiment, one end of an elongate rectangular prism post, pole, tube, pipe or the like may be positioned in the interior opening. By way of example, and not as a limitation, the post, pole, tube, pipe, or the like may be formed from polyvinyl chloride, wood, metal, plastic, or the like.

The mounting surfacemay include a flangeextending around at least a portion of an exterior perimeter of the mounting surface. The flangemay extend downwardly from the bottom sideof the mounting surface, perpendicular to the planar top side. A plurality of mounting aperturesmay be formed through an entirety of a thickness of the flangefrom a first side to a second side. A fastenermay be positioned through one or more of the plurality of mounting aperturesto secure a mounted structureto the mounting surface.

In one embodiment, the mounting surfacemay include a drainage apertureextending through an entirety of a thickness of the mounting surfacefrom the top sideto the bottom side.

The mounted structuremay be any item that is mounted atop a pole. By way of example, and not as a limitation, the mounted structuremay be a mailbox, bird feeder, bird house, book depository, bat box, basketball hoop, or any similar structure.

Some of the illustrative aspects of the present invention may be advantageous in solving the problems herein described and other problems not discussed which are discoverable by a skilled artisan.

While the above description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of the presented embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.