1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of plumbing hardware, and in particular to a cantilevered bracket for supporting plumbing pipes in spaced relation to a building member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plumbing support brackets of the type used to locate and support plumbing pipes in a bay between building members are well known in the art. These brackets are especially useful in locating stub-outs for faucets, showerheads, and the like between wall studs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,451 to Hubbard discloses a simple bracket having pipe receiving openings spaced along its entire length. The bracket is attachable to the outer edges of adjacent studs by inserting fasteners such as nails or screws through fastener openings located intermediate the pipe receiving openings.
Cantilevered brackets for supporting one or more pipes in spaced relation to a building member are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,303,887 and 5,876,000 disclose molded plastic pipe support brackets, either of which may be used as a cantilever to support pipes in spaced relation to a building member or to another pipe. These brackets are sold by Sioux Chief Mfg. Co., Inc. of Peculiar, Mo. under the trademarks Pipe Titan™ and Grid Iron™.
Sioux Chief Mfg. Co., Inc. also sells a Copper Plated Stub out Bracket which is formed of 16 gauge copper plated steel. This is a relatively flat heavy bracket having a mounting tab and an A-shaped pipe support arm which extends outwardly therefrom. The pipe support arm includes a plurality of pipe receiving openings having annular flanges therearound to allow plumbing pipes to be soldered to the bracket.
The present invention is a cantilevered pipe support bracket for supporting a pipe in spaced relation to a building member includes a front plate and a pair of side plates. The front plate includes a primary mounting tab and an arm extending outwardly therefrom. The front plate is preferably T-shaped such that the primary mounting tab is wider than the arm and extends outwardly from the arm in opposed directions. The arm has a plurality of pipe receiving openings formed therethrough and spaced therealong. The pipe receiving openings may be sized to receive a standard size copper pipe and be encircled by an annular flange to facilitate soldering of the pipe to the bracket. Alternatively, the pipe receiving openings may be sized to receive a plastic insulator which, in turn, receives the pipe.
The side plates are connected to opposed edges of the arm and extend rearwardly therefrom at an obtuse included angle. Each side plate has a base end having a secondary mounting tab formed thereon. The side plates cross brace and reinforce the arm, providing a rigid installation and allowing the bracket to be formed of relatively thin material. The side plates may include notches sized and positioned to receive pipes running parallel to the front plate.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “rightwardly,” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the embodiment being described and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of a similar import.
Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference number 1 generally designates a cantilevered plumbing support bracket according to the present invention. The bracket 1 is used for supporting plumbing pipes 3 in a bay 5 between building members 7, such as wall studs 7a. The wall studs 7a are covered by wallboard 9 fastened to the studs 7a, which may be, for example, gypsum board, wood paneling, exterior siding, or the like.
The bracket 1 is preferably formed of sheet metal, such as steel, and generally includes a front plate 10 and a pair of rearwardly extending side plates 11. The front plate 10 includes a primary mounting tab 13 and an arm 15 which extends outwardly from the mounting tab 13. The primary mounting tab 13 is sized and shaped to allow fastening to a narrow dimension or edge 16 of a building member 7. The arm 15 has one or more pipe receiving openings 17 formed therethrough. Each of the side plates 11 includes an outwardly extending secondary mounting tab 19 for fastening the bracket 1 to a face 20 or wide dimension of the building member 7. Because the side plates 11 act to brace and reinforce the front plate 10, the bracket 1 may be formed of relatively thin metal such as 26 to 24 gauge steel.
Looking at the bracket 1 of
The side plates 11 are connected to the arm 15 along opposite side edges 27 thereof and angle rearwardly therefrom. The side plates 11 are each in the shape of a right triangle and include a base edge 35 and a back edge 37 which tapers inwardly from the base edge 35 toward the outer end 29 of the arm 15. The included angle A between the arm 15 and each side plate 11 (see
The secondary mounting tabs 19 are each connected to a respective side plate 11 along the base edge 35 thereof and proximate to the back edge 37 thereof. The tabs 19 extend perpendicularly outward from the respective side plates 11. Referring to
As shown in
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring to
It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. For example, while the bracket 1 is described herein as being formed of sheet metal, it is to be understood that it could be formed from other materials, such as injection molded CPVC (Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride) such that CPVC plumbing pipe 3 could be solvent welded to the bracket 1 using the appropriate cement.
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