Anchor rail adapter and hanger and method

For use with an anchor rail formed as a U-shaped channel having a pair of upstanding, opposing legs, each leg having an inwardly extending wall and terminating in a downwardly oriented rail lip, an adapter configured to receive and releasably retain an associated article support hanger on the associated anchor rail, the adapter comprising:

• a mounting surface having an opening formed therein to releasably secure the article support hanger to the adapter;
• a plurality of downwardly/inwardly oriented projections extending from a periphery of the opening;
• flanges depending from the mounting surface;
• mounting legs extending from the flanges, the mounting legs each having a hook-like portion for engaging the corresponding rail lip, the hook-like portion extending substantially along a width of the mounting leg;
• and
• the adapter being flexible to permit urging of the flanges inwardly toward each other to facilitate insertion of a portion of the mounting legs into the U-shaped channel, the adapter further being resilient such that the hook-like portions biasingly engage the rail lips.

For use with an associated article support hanger and a strut-type channel, an article support hanger configured to retain a waveguide transmission line, or electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic or other utility line, the strut-type channel being generally U-shaped and having a pair of upstanding, opposing legs, each leg having an inwardly extending wall and terminating in a downwardly oriented rail lip, a unitary resilient coupling comprising:

• an article support hanger receiving portion configured to receive and releasably retain the associated article support hanger;
• opposed mounting legs having feet configured to engage corresponding channel lips of the strut-type channel to securely lock the unitary resilient coupling into the channel when the legs are pinched together to fit within the channel, and released so as to expand and biasingly contact the corresponding channel lips
• said resilient coupling further inclulding a threaded opening adapted to be retentively engaged by the article support hanger;
• and
• wherein said opening is surrounded by radial friction tabs.