Picture hanger and methods of use

Abstract

A hanger apparatus includes a body having front and back sides both extending between top and bottom edges, and two spaced-apart lateral sides. The back side defines a backplane for positioning against a wall. The body has a hole inclined toward the bottom edge from the front toward the back to form a first angle θ 1 within 15° to 75°. The body further defines a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel wire-receiving slots, each extending horizontally through both sidewalls across the middle portion of the front side and having a front side vertical width sized to allow picture hanging wire to be inserted into the slot from the front side. The wire-receiving slots further have a lower slot edge that is inclined toward the bottom edge extending from the front side toward the back side forming a second angle θ 2 within 15° to 75°.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hanger apparatus for hanging a picture assembly on a wall, wherein the picture assembly includes a picture, plaque, frame, mirror or similar object having a front side and a back side and a picture hanging wire fastened to the object for the support thereof and disposed across at least a portion of the back side, the hanger apparatus comprising:
 a body defining a front side and a back side that both extend between a top edge and a bottom edge, and two spaced-apart lateral sides that each extend between the front side and the back side;
 the front side of the body including an upper portion disposed adjacent to the top edge of the body, a lower portion disposed adjacent to the bottom edge of the body and a middle portion disposed therebetween; 
 the back side of the body defining a backplane for positioning against a wall, a vertical axis extending along the backplane between the top edge and the bottom edge of the body, and a horizontal axis extending along the backplane between the two lateral sides of the body; 
   the body further defining at least one hole extending along a hole axis from a first position on the upper portion of the front side to a second position on the back side, the hole axis being inclined toward the bottom edge as the hole axis extends from the front side toward the back side to form a first angle θ 1  with the backplane, the first angle θ 1 , when viewed in the horizontal direction, being within the range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees;   the body further defining a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel wire-receiving slots, each wire-receiving slot extending horizontally through both sidewalls across the middle portion of the front side of the body;
 each wire-receiving slot further having a slot floor disposed at the bottom thereof and a slot roof disposed at the top thereof, the slot floor being inclined toward the bottom edge as the slot floor extends from the front side toward the back side such that a line extending from the slot floor forms a second angle θ 2  with the backplane, the second angle θ 2 , when viewed in the horizontal direction, being within the range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees; 
 each wire-receiving slot further having a front side vertical width measured vertically between the slot roof and the slot floor that is sized to allow a picture hanging wire to be inserted into the wire-receiving slot from the front side. 
   
     
     
         2 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the body defines at least four wire-receiving slots. 
     
     
         3 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein the body defines at least eight wire-receiving slots. 
     
     
         4 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the first angle first angle θ 1  between the hole axis and the backplane is within the range of 40 degrees to 50 degrees and the second angle θ 2  between the slot floor and the backplane is within the range of 40 degrees to 50. 
     
     
         5 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the first angle first angle θ 1  is about 45 degrees and the second angle θ 2  is about 45 degrees. 
     
     
         6 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising a bubble level mounted on the body parallel to the horizontal axis so as to indicate the orientation of the body. 
     
     
         7 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the front side of the body further defines a rectangular recess in the lower portion, the rectangular recess being sized to receive the bubble level therein. 
     
     
         8 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the front side defines an upper surface plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the hole axis of the at least one hole extending therethrough. 
     
     
         9 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein:
 each slot floor has a front edge on the front side thereof;   the slot floor front edges collectively define a front plane of the body; and   the front plane being inclined away from the backplane from top to bottom so as to form a third angle θ 3  with the backplane, the third angle θ 3 , when viewed in the horizontal direction, being within the range of 1.0 degrees to 3.0 degrees with the backplane.   
     
     
         10 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein third angle θ 3  is within the range of 1.5 degrees to 2.0 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . A hanger apparatus in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the back side of the body further defines a rectangular nail recess, the rectangular recess being sized to receive at least one nail for hanging the hanger apparatus. 
     
     
         12 . A method for hanging a picture assembly on a wall, wherein the picture assembly includes a picture, plaque, frame, mirror or similar object having a front side and a back side and a picture hanging wire fastened to the object for the support thereof and disposed across at least a portion of the back side, the method comprising the following steps:
 providing a hanger apparatus comprising a body defining a front side and a back side that both extend between a top edge and a bottom edge, and two spaced-apart lateral sides that each extend between the front side and the back side;
 the front side of the body including an upper portion disposed adjacent to the top edge of the body, a lower portion disposed adjacent to the bottom edge of the body and a middle portion disposed therebetween; 
 the back side of the body defining a backplane for positioning against a wall, a vertical axis extending along the backplane between the top edge and the bottom edge of the body, and a horizontal axis extending along the backplane between the two lateral sides of the body; 
 the body further defining at least one hole extending along a hole axis from a first position on the upper portion of the front side to a second position on the back side, the hole axis being inclined toward the bottom edge as the hole axis extends from the front side toward the back side to form a first angle θ 1  with the backplane, the first angle θ 1 , when viewed in the horizontal direction, being within the range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees; 
 the body further defining a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel wire-receiving slots, each wire-receiving slot extending horizontally through both sidewalls across the middle portion of the front side of the body;
 each wire-receiving slot further having a slot floor disposed at the bottom thereof and a slot roof disposed at the top thereof, the slot floor being inclined toward the bottom edge as the slot floor extends from the front side toward the back side such that a line extending from the slot floor forms a second angle θ 2  with the backplane, the second angle θ 2 , when viewed in the horizontal direction, being within the range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees; 
 each wire-receiving slot further having a front side vertical width measured vertically between the slot roof and the slot floor that is sized to allow a picture hanging wire to be inserted into the wire-receiving slot from the front side; 
 
 attaching the hanger apparatus to a wall using a nail passing from the front side along the hole axis through the hole and into the wall; 
 aligning at least a portion of the picture hanging wire of the picture assembly with a selected one of the plurality of wire-receiving slots of the hanger apparatus; and 
   moving the aligned portion of the picture hanging wire of the picture assembly rearward into the selected one of the plurality of wire-receiving slots.