Patent Application
20180145490
The present invention relates generally to support elements for use in structures, and, more particularly, to apparatus for mounting and supporting building elements such as electrical conduits, plumbing, channel members, and the like.
Electrical conduits are frequently used to route electrical wiring in modern buildings. An electrical conduit is typically formed of metal, plastic, fiber, or clay. Most are rigid, but flexible electrical conduits are also utilized in some applications.
Routing and supporting electrical wires with electrical conduits provides several advantages. For example, electrical conduits provide protection to the enclosed wires from impact, moisture, and chemicals. Electrical conduits also facilitate modifying the enclosed wiring with little disruption to nearby structures. When properly sealed with fireproof material, an electrical conduit will not permit the flow of flammable gases, which may inhibit the spread of fire.
Electrical conduits will variously be hung from building structures and made to penetrate walls, floors, and ceilings. While some hardware already exists for supporting electrical conduits, little of that hardware is particularly well suited for supporting electrical conduits where they actually penetrate building structures. As a result, there is a need for specially designed brackets that aid in mounting electrical conduits at these points of penetration.
Embodiments of the present invention provide bracket assemblies that support both conduits and channel members.
Aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a plate portion, a clamp portion, and an attachment fastener. The plate portion defines a flat plate, as well as a tongue projecting from an edge of the flat plate and defining a tongue attachment hole passing therethrough. The clamp portion defines a base that defines a clamp attachment hole passing therethrough, a pair of opposed legs extending from the base and defining a void therebetween, and a clamp fastener spanning between the pair of opposed legs. The attachment fastener passes through the tongue attachment hole and the clamp attachment hole so as to fixate the clamp portion to the plate portion.
Additional aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a plate portion and a channel member. The plate portion defines a flat plate, as well as a tongue projecting from an edge of the flat plate and defining a tongue attachment hole passing therethrough. An attachment fastener passes through the tongue attachment hole and the channel member so as to fixate the channel member to the plate portion.
Additional aspects of the invention are directed to a method of supporting a conduit. A plate portion and a clamp portion are received. The plate portion defines a flat plate, as well as a tongue projecting from an edge of the flat plate and defining a tongue attachment hole passing therethrough. The clamp portion defines a base that defines a clamp attachment hole passing therethrough, a pair of opposed legs extending from the base and defining a void therebetween, and a clamp fastener spanning between the pair of opposed legs. The plate portion is fixated to the clamp portion via an attachment fastener passing through the tongue attachment hole and the clamp attachment hole. The plate portion is fixated to a structure of a building. Finally, the conduit is captured by the clamp portion.
Even additional aspects of the invention are directed to a method of supporting a channel member. A plate portion and a channel member are received. The plate portion defines a flat plate, as well as a tongue projecting from an edge of the flat plate and defining a tongue attachment hole passing therethrough. The channel member is fixated to the plate portion via an attachment fastener passing through the tongue attachment hole and the channel member. The plate portion is fixated to a structure of a building.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
The present invention will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made to these embodiments and the results will still come within the scope of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments described herein are intended or should be inferred.
As used in the present specification and accompanying claims, the term “flat plate” is intended to mean a plate that is flat within regular and reasonable manufacturing tolerances for brackets used in the building trade. “Substantially normal” means within ten degrees of perpendicular. A “conduit” incorporates any object shaped in the form of a pipe, duct, or tube. A conduit may carry electrical wiring, or may convey gases or liquids. Lastly, a “fastener” is intended to encompass both bolts and screws.
Apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention provide a means for supporting conduits in building structures. Such apparatus are particularly well suited for supporting conduits where they approach and penetrate a building structure such as a wall, floor, or ceiling at a ninety degree angle.
An example of an apparatus falling within the scope of the invention is shown in perspective in
More details of the plate portion 105 and the clamp portion 110, as well as the manner in which they interact, is provided by an exploded perspective view in
The clamp portion 110 defines a base 140 with a pair of opposed legs 145 that extend from the base 140 to define a void 150 therebetween. The void 150 is dimensioned to capture the conduit 1000. The base 140 defines a clamp attachment hole 155 passing therethrough. At the same time, one of the legs 145 defines a slot 160, while the other defines a receiving hole 165 positioned in opposed relation to the slot 160. The receiving hole 165 is internally threaded. A clamp fastener 170 passes through the slot 160 and is threaded into the receiving hole 165 so as to span between the pair of opposed legs 145. The clamp fastener 170 may be rotated in one direction to cause the pair of opposed legs 145 to be urged towards each other, and rotated in the other to allow the pair of opposed legs 145 to relax away from each other.
With the parts constructed as indicated in
To keep the clamp portion 110 from rotating relative to the plate portion 105, the tongue 130 preferably (but not necessarily) has a width about equal to the space between the pair of opposed legs 145 of the clamp portion 110 (see
The bracket assembly 100 may be mounted to essentially any building structure with a reasonably flat face. The bracket assembly 100 may, for example, be mounted to a panel of sheetrock, to a cinderblock or cement structure, and to metal or wood framing or beams. The bracket assembly 100 supporting the conduit 1000 and mounted to a cinderblock 3000, for example, is shown in a perspective view in
The bracket assembly 100 may be formed of any one of several materials, including, but not limited to, metal and plastic. The bracket assembly 100 may for example, be formed of steel. The tongue 130 and the flat plate 115 of the plate portion 105 may be formed of a single unitary piece of material without a joint or seam therebetween. Having the entire plate portion 105 formed of a unitary piece of materials aids both ease-of-manufacture and strength. The plate portion 105 may initially be cut from a flat sheet of metal stock. Subsequently, the fixation holes 125 in the flat plate 115 and the tongue attachment hole 135 may be formed in the tongue 130, and then the tongue 130 bent away from the remainder of the plate portion 105 to achieve the plate portion 105 described above. These various metal forming steps are well within the skills of one having ordinary skill in the relevant arts.
The clamp portion 110 may be sourced commercially and are readily available from several sources. As just one example, MINERALLAC® Company (Hampshire, Ill., USA) sells steel conduit hangers which would be suitable for use as the clamp portion 110 in the bracket assembly 100.
It will be noted that the edge 132 of the flat plate 115 from which the tongue 130 projects has an angled shape that causes the flat plate 115 to have a narrower width at its center than at its sides, where the four fixation holes 125 are placed. This causes the tongue 130 to be centered between the four fixation holes 125. Having the tongue 130 centered in this manner helps to evenly distribute any weight carried by the tongue 130 on the four fixation fasteners 1010. It also provides additional room for the conduit 1000 to pass under the tongue 130. The unique shape also allows the fixation holes 125 in the flat plate 115 to be sufficiently spaced apart to avoid having them place undue stress on the surface to which the flat plate 115 is fixated.
The bracket assembly 100 has several advantages. For example, its components are relatively simple to manufacture and source, and are relatively inexpensive. The bracket assembly 100 may also be readily installed by a single installer without assistance from others. Just a single bracket assembly 100 is able to more than adequately support a conduit and its contents as the conduit penetrates a wall, floor, ceiling, or other structure.
Actual prototypes of the bracket assembly 100 readily supported the weight of several differently sized conduits. The prototype plate portions were formed of steel and had thicknesses of about 1.8 mm. Heights were about 5.3 cm and widths were about 20 cm, with height being the vertical direction and width being the horizontal direction with the prototype plate portions oriented in the manner of the plate portion 105 in
A plate portion 510 in the bracket assembly 500 is essentially identical to that in the bracket assembly 100, reinforcing the fact that a single plate portion design may be used in several different applications (i.e., the single plate portion design is universal to several different applications). The plate portion 510 defines a flat plate 515 with fixation holes 520. A tongue 525 projects from an edge 530 of the flat plate 515 and defines a threaded attachment hole 535 passing therethrough.
The channel member 505 is attached to the plate portion 510 by passing an attachment fastener 540 through a washer 545 and then through an opening 550 in the channel member 505. The attachment fastener 540 is then threaded into the threaded attachment hole 535 of the tongue 525 to fixate the channel member 505 to the plate portion 510. The bracket assembly 500 may be mounted with the channel member 505 resting on top of the tongue 525, as shown in
It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality. These numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
For example, some of the fixations in the above-described assemblies rely on one hole being unthreaded and a corresponding hole being threaded. Alternative embodiments may reverse these configurations. In addition, while some of the fixations rely on threaded holes to threadably engage a fastener, one skilled in the relevant arts will also realize from the description provided herein that such threaded holes may in most circumstances be made unthreaded, and a nut used in combination with a fastener to provide the fixation.
All the features disclosed herein may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function or “step for” performing a specified function is not to be interpreted as a “means for” or “step for” clause as specified in AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). In particular, the use of “steps of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).
