FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to a mounting apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a modular mounting apparatus.

BACKGROUND

[002] Various mounting units that are used for mounting newspapers, dispensers, etc. are known in the art. Such systems are mostly in the form of floor stands and are deployed at various public places.

[003] However, the conventional mounting units are bulky and cumbersome to transport. When in use, due to their circular base, they are easily toppled thereby harming the usefulness of the product. Moreover, the height of such systems is fixed causing difficulties to users with different heights.

[004] Therefore, there arises a requirement of mounting unit which overcomes the aforementioned challenges associated with the conventional support apparatus.

SUMMARY

[005] The present invention relates to a mounting assembly. The mounting assembly is used for mounting a pre-defined object. The mounting assembly includes a base unit having a plurality of sub-units including at least a first unit and a second unit. The mounting assembly includes a shaft being coupled to the base unit. The shaft is a height adjustable unit. The mounting assembly includes a support coupled to the shaft for mounting a pre-defined object. The first unit and the second unit are aligned with respect to each other and coupled with the shaft to form a mounting assembly. The shaft is coupled to the base unit in such a way that each of the plurality of units include an equal area of the shaft.

[006] The foregoing features and other features as well as the advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[007] The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the apportioned drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale.

[008] FIG. 1 depicts a mounting assembly 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[009] FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of the mounting assembly 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 3 depicts a method 200 of assembling the mounting assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Prior to describing the invention in detail, definitions of certain words or phrases used throughout this patent document will be defined: the terms "include" and "comprise", as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term "or" is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases "coupled with" and "associated therewith", as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have a property of, or the like; Definitions of certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such definitions apply in many, if not most, instances to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

[0012] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments" unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to" unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive and/or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a," "an," and "the" also refer to "one or more" unless expressly specified otherwise. [0013] Although the operations of exemplary embodiments of the disclosed method may be described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments can encompass an order of operations other than the particular, sequential order disclosed. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Further, descriptions and disclosures provided in association with one particular embodiment are not limited to that embodiment, and may be applied to any embodiment disclosed herein. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed system, method, and apparatus can be used in combination with other systems, methods, and apparatuses.

[0014] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments. These features and advantages of the embodiments will become more fully apparent from the following description and apportioned claims, or may be learned by the practice of embodiments as set forth hereinafter.

[0015] In accordance with the present disclosure, a mounting assembly is disclosed. The mounting assembly may be used for holding one or more pre-defined units like, newspapers, dispensing systems, or any other utility objects known in the art.

[0016] The mounting assembly of the present invention includes a modular structure and includes various components such as one or more of a base unit, a shaft and a support. The said components may be assembled without any external assistance at the time of use.

[0017] The base unit of the mounting assembly is in the form of a square plate which helps to maximize the surface area and holds the mounting assembly firmly thereby conferring better stability of the mounting assembly. The base unit of the present invention may include at least two sub-units that are first aligned and subsequently assembled together along with the shaft and the support. The coupling of the shaft with the base unit is performed in a manner that when in contact with the base unit, the shaft covers equal area over each of the sub-units of the base unit. Such an arrangement helps to align the shaft efficiently and problems of imbalance and lack of stability are completely eliminated. Further, this feature further makes the mounting assembly modular and hence, the mounting assembly can be packaged within a limited space and transported in an efficient manner thereby reducing the freight cost significantly.

[0018] The shaft of the present invention may include a provision of adjusting the height of the mounting assembly based upon the convenience of a user.

[0019] Fig. 1 depicts a mounting assembly 100 of the present invention. The mounting assembly 100 may be made of a material including but not limited to metals, polymers, etc. In an embodiment, the mounting assembly 100 is made up of powder coated mild steel and plastics.

[0020] The mounting assembly 100 is a modular assembly which includes a base unit 101, a shaft 103 and a support 105. Owing to the modular structure, the mounting assembly 100 may be packaged in a small container which easy and cost effective transportation of the mounting assembly 100. For example, the freight costs of shipping one unit of the mounting assembly 100 of the present invention is 70% less than shipping a conventional mounting assembly. Further, the said components may be assembled together without any external assistance at the time of use.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention, the base unit 101 forms a foundation of the mounting assembly 100. The base unit 101 may include a pre-defined shape. The shape of the base unit 101 plays a crucial role in the present invention as the shape of the base unit 101 directly impacts the stability of the mounting assembly 100. In an embodiment, the present invention employs a square-shaped base unit 101. Such a shape provides enhanced surface area thereby conferring improved stability to the mounting assembly 100 as compared to other shapes.

[0022] The base unit 101 of the present invention may be a multi-part structure including a plurality of sub-units. As shown in the exploded view of the present invention depicted in FIG.

2, the base unit 101 includes two sub-units lOlal, 101a2. The sub-units lOlal, 101a2 may include identical shape and dimensions or different shape and dimensions. In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the shape and dimensions of the sub-units lOlal, 101a2 are same.

[0023] The sub-units lOlal, 101a2 may be connected with each other and then to the shaft 103. Alternately, the sub-units lOlal, 101a2 may be individually coupled to the shaft 103 directly. In an embodiment, the sub-unit lOlal, 101a2 are first aligned with respect to each other and then coupled to the shaft 103. The coupling of the shaft 103 with the base unit 101 is performed in a manner that when in contact with the base unit 101, the shaft 103 covers equal area on each of the sub-units of the base unit 103 (described in detail below). Such an arrangement helps to align the shaft 103 efficiently and problems of imbalance and lack of stability are completely eliminated.

[0024] The coupling between the sub-units lOlal, 101a2 with each other or with the shaft 103 may be mediated via a coupling mechanism. The coupling mechanism may include a nut-bolt system, snap-fit mechanism, etc. In an embodiment, the coupling mechanism includes a nut and bolt system. Hence, the sub units lOlal, 101a2 may include at least one hole for screwing the base unit 101 with the shaft 103. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, each sub-unit lOlal, 101a2 includes a single hole.

[0025] The shaft 103 of the present invention may be a single part or a multi-part unit. In an embodiment, the shaft 103 includes two rods i.e a first rod 103al and second rod 103a2. The rods 103al, 103a2 may include a pre-defined shape and dimensions. The rods 103al, 103a2 may include a circular cross-section, a triangular cross-section, a square cross-section, etc. In an embodiment, the rods 103al, 103a2 include a circular cross-section.

[0026] The dimensions of the rods 103al, 103a2 may be different from each other. In an embodiment, one of the rods 103al/103a2 may have a diameter lesser than the diameter of the other rod 103al/103a2. In an embodiment, the first rod 103al includes a greater diameter than the second rod 103a2. The rods 103al, 103a2 may be hollow or solid. In an embodiment, the first rod 103al is a hollow rod. The presence of the aforesaid rods 103al, 103a2 allow the shaft 103 to be movable. The second rod 103a2 may slide within the first rod 103al to facilitate height adjustment of the mounting assembly 100. The shaft 103 may include an anchoring means 103b to hold and fix the position of the rods 103al, 103a2 with respect to each other.

[0027] The diameter of the first rod 103al may range from 40mm to 44mm. The diameter of the second rod 103a2 may range from 24mm to26mm. In an embodiment, the diameter of the first rod 103al and the second rod 103a2 are 42mm and 25mm respectively. The first rod 103al may have a length ranging from 584 mm to 610mm. The second rod 103a2 may have a length ranging from 660mm to 685 mm. In an embodiment, the length of the first rod 103al and the second rod 103a2 are 597 mm and 672 mm respectively. Further, the height of the mounting assembly 100 may be adjusted between 1295 mm to 1350 mm. [0028] The first rod 103al may be connected to the base unit 101 via the nuts and bolts (coupling mechanism) as mentioned above. In an exemplary embodiment, the first rod 103al may be provided with a flange 10 via which the first rod 103al is connected to the base unit 101. The flange 10 may include a plurality of holes which may allow the passage of the nuts and bolts. The coupling mechanism may be concealed by a cover 20.

[0029] The second rod 103a2 may be connected with the first rod 103al at one end and with the support 105 at another end.

[0030] The support 105 may be coupled to the second rod 103a2 by any conventional means known in the art. In an embodiment, the support 105 is screwed to the second rod 103a2 of the shaft 103 with the help of nuts and bolts.

[0031] The support 105 of the present invention may be utilized to mount a pre-defined object. The pre-defined object may include a newspaper, an electronic display unit, a dispensing unit, etc. In an embodiment, the support 105 is used to mount a dispensing unit. The support 105 may include one or more provisions to mount the pre-defined object. For example, the support 105 may include slots and the pre-defined object may be hanged over the support 105 via the same. Alternately, the support 105 may include ridges and the pre-defined object may be snap- fitted to the support 105. In yet another embodiment, the pre-defined object may be screwed to the support 105.

[0032] The support 105 may be single part or may include multiple parts. The number of parts of the support 105a may be dependent upon the type of the pre-defined object. The shape and dimensions of the support 105 may also be dependent upon the type and size of the predefined object.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment for mounting the dispenser unit, the support 105 includes a first plate 105al and a second plate 105a2. The first plate 105al may help to mount the dispenser unit while the second plate 105a2 may be placed below the dispenser unit to prevent a dispensed material from falling on the ground.

[0034] The first plate 105al may be coupled to the second plate 105a2 by any conventional means known in the art. In an embodiment, the first plate 105al is screwed to the second plate 105a2 with the help of nuts and bolts.

[0035] FIG. 3 depicts a method 300 for assembling the mounting assembly 100. At step 301, the base unit 101 is assembled together with the shaft 103 via the coupling mechanism. The first unit lOlal and the second unit 101a2 may be aligned together to form the base unit 101 of the mounting assembly 100. The first unit lOlal and the second unit 101a2 may be aligned in a manner that the first and the second units lOlal, 101a2 are adjacently placed and the holes disposed on each of the units are in a straight line. The shaft 103 is placed over the aligned units lOlal, 101a2 in a manner that half of the shaft 103 is placed over the first unit lOlal while the remaining half of the shaft 103 is placed over the second unit 101a2 (also shown in FIG. 1). It should be noted that in case of more than two units of the base unit 101, the shaft 103 covers equal area over the surface of each of the units. For example, in case of four units, each unit would include one fourth of the area of the shaft 103.

[0036] Subsequently, a nut may be passed through the holes of the flange 10, the first unit lOlal and the second unit 101a2 and screwed together via a bolt. Such an arrangement helps in firm fixation of the components and enhances the stability of the mounting assembly 100 at its base.

[0037] At step 303, the second rod 103a2 of the shaft 103 is inserted within the first rod 103al and the height of the mounting assembly 100 is adjusted as per convenience. The positions of the rods 103al, 103a2 are then fixed using the anchoring means 103b.

[0038] At step 305, the support 105 is coupled to the first rod lOlal and the pre-defined object is mounted over the support 105.

[0039] The scope of the invention is only limited by the appended patent claims. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention is/are used.