Patent Application
20130199124
The present invention relations to installation of building panels and, more particularly, to a support apparatus to temporarily support a drywall or other panel until an installer can secure the panel in place.
Installation of panels such as drywall is known in the art. Installation of drywall is particularly cumbersome, labor intensive and tiring, particularly for installation overhead on a ceiling. Drywall sheets are heavy and somewhat fragile if not handled and installed carefully. A drywall sheet is typically lifted by two persons, and supported in place by one person against the overhead joists or against wall studs while the second person secures the drywall in place with nails or screws. Drywall sheets are typically 48 or 54 inches wide and eight to 14 feet long. The standard thickness of drywall is one-half inch and five-eighths inch, but other thicknesses may be used such as one-quarter inch or three-eighths inch.
To properly install a sheet of drywall, the sheet should be held snug against the ceiling joists or wall studs and screwed or nailed in place starting from the center of the sheet and fanning out. If the sheet is not against or close to the studs or joists the screws or nails may pull through the drywall. If the corners or edges of the sheet are nailed or screwed first the edges or corners may break, or the middle of the sheet may bow resulting in an uneven or sagging installation or nail pop as the bow is pulled to the stud or joist and the nail or screw head pulls through the drywall. Additionally, supporting heavy sheets of drywall overhead throughout the day is tiring while trying to hold a sheet against the ceiling joists it is difficult to adjust, align reposition the heavy sheet.
There is a need for a support apparatus that is easy to use, quickly repositionable, can be used for both wood and metal studs, holds the sheet in close proximity to the stud or joist and is adaptable for various thicknesses of drywall.
The present invention provides a panel installation support apparatus that is versatile and convenient for attachment of the panel to a frame member. The support apparatus includes an adjustable support surface for accommodating various panel thicknesses, a sloped surface to support the leading edge of the panel when positioning in place, and an alignment support shelf to properly align an edge of the panel with the joist or stud while supporting the edge of the panel. An accessory block may be used when standing a panel against a wall or when hanging drywall on sloped ceilings.
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 that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Moreover, except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description and in the claims are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broader scope of this invention. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures or combinations of any two or more members of the group or class may be equally suitable or preferred.
Referring initially to
The alignment ledge 40 has a width of approximately one-half inch. The height of the right 36 and left 38 back members may be two to three inches, for example. The panel support ledge 42 may be one-half inch wide and have a height of 11/16 to support a five-eighths inch drywall sheet. Generally, the height of panel support ledge 42 may be one-sixteenth inch more than the thickness of the drywall sheet to be hung. In the preferred embodiment, a thickness adjustment spacer 62 may be used to accommodate different drywall thicknesses. The spacer 62 includes two or more posts 64 spaced to engage apertures 66 in ledge 42. For example, if the panel support ledge 42 is eleven-sixteenths inch high, a five-eighths inch thick drywall panel may be supported with a one-sixteenth inch clearance between the drywall sheet and the joists or studs without a spacer 62. A one-half inch drywall panel may be hung by inserting a one-eighth inch thickness adjustment spacer 62 to maintain the one-sixteenth inch clearance.
An alignment window 68 is included through the panel support ledge 42 and sloped support member 46. Adjustment spacer 62 may also include an alignment window 70 aligned with the alignment window 68.
Referring to
Once the panel support apparatuses 30 are aligned and secured to the ceiling joists 74, the front edge 86 of the drywall sheet 78 is brought into contact with the sloped support members 44, 46 and 48. The panel 78 may now be pushed up the sloped surfaces until the front edge 86 comes to rest on the panel support ledges 42. The drywall sheet 78 may now be adjusted as desired while fully supported along the front edge 86. The widths of the alignment ledge 40 and the panel support ledge 42 provide adjustment space 88 for the drywall sheet 78. Once the installer is satisfied with the alignment of the drywall sheet 78, the sheet 78 may be screwed or nailed to the ceiling joists 74. When the drywall sheet 78 is secured to the ceiling joists 74, the C-clamp vice grips 72 may be released and the panel support apparatuses 30 may be moved to the next position to install another drywall sheet.
Referring to
Once the panel support apparatuses 30 are aligned and secured with the C-clamp vice grips 72 to the wall studs 92, the bottom edge 96 of the drywall sheet 90 is brought into contact with the sloped support members 44, 46 and 48. The drywall sheet 90 is now supported along the bottom edge 96 and may be pivoted flat against the wall studs 92. The drywall sheet 90 may then be aligned as desired and secured to the wall studs 92.
Referring to
When installing the last sheet of drywall 110 where the panel support apparatus 30 cannot be secured to the ceiling joists, the accessory blocks 100 may be used in combination with the panel support apparatuses 30. The panel support apparatuses 30 may be secured to the wall studs 92 with C-clamp vice grips 72. With the accessory block 100 in place, the drywall sheet 110 may be lifted and the front edge 112 placed on the sloped support surface 106. The drywall sheet 110 can then be raised and slid against the wall header 76, aligned as desired and secured to the ceiling joists 74 with screws or nails. When the drywall sheet 110 is being held against the ceiling joists 74, the front edge 112 rests on and is supported by the top surface 108 of the accessory block 100.
Similarly, when installing drywall sheets 120 on a vaulted ceiling 122, the panel support apparatuses 30 with the accessory blocks 100 may be secured to the wall studs 92 with C-clamp vice grips 72. With the accessory block 100 in place, the drywall sheet 120 may be lifted and the front edge 124 placed on the sloped support surface 106. The drywall sheet 120 can then be raised and held against the vaulted ceiling 122, aligned as desired and secured in place. When the drywall sheet 120 is being held against the vaulted ceiling 122, the front edge 124 rests on and is supported by the top surface 108 of the accessory block 100.
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It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto, except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.
