Support structures for insulation and other materials
A holder for supporting a material that includes a support member having a first wire element for supporting the material and second and third wire elements for coupling the support member to two beams of a structure. Each of the second and third wire elements is contiguous with the first wire element and defines an end for attachment to a respective beam, with at least one of the second and third wire elements being non-linear between its end and the first wire element. Methods and kits provide a compact and adjustable holder for confining materials between beams of a building or structure. A clip is provided that cooperates with a plurality of holders and reduces heat transfer.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 11/230,239, filed on Sep. 19, 2005, by the same inventor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to supporting materials inside of structures and more particularly to support structures or holders that are especially useful to support insulation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Insulation installed underneath a roof is typically placed between two studs or beams. Moreover, wall insulation (or specialized insulation such as sound proofing materials) is often laid between studs from long rolls or long strips. The insulation is prevented from sagging or falling by wire hangers which extend from one stud to the other and are anchored in the studs.
The ends of many related-art insulation hangers are pointed, and the hangers are anchored in the studs by hammering. Obviously, it takes a great deal of time to install insulation this way since the number of hangers that must be hammered in each stud is large.
In heating, cooling, ventilating and air-conditioning systems (HVAC systems) in residential homes, apartments, office buildings and other building structures, there are duct members usually made up of metallic pipes, hollow composite materials such as tubes, and the like supported from and between floor or ceiling joists. It is common practice for the HVAC system to include an elongated primary or main duct from which extends a series of smaller branch or fluid-distributing ducts which are mounted between adjoining floor or ceiling joists and are parallel thereto. These main and branch duct members are located between joists and are normally supported by metal wires or adjustable metal hangers which are placed between the joists in transverse supporting position.
Normally the adjustable metal hangers have a substantial depth of section which is difficult and time-consuming to cut to length to fit between non-uniform adjoining joists. Also, a lack of uniformity of the spacing between adjacent joists creates an installation problem. Accordingly, duct hangers having standard uniform lengths cannot practically be utilized.
In addition, the pointed ends or tapered prongs on the ends of certain types of adjustable hangers are not easily or satisfactorily driven into wooden joists at desired locations or at prescribed spacing due to imperfections in the wooden joists such as knots, holes, cracks and the like. And if the part of the hanger that is driven into the joist becomes dull or breaks off during installation or repeated attempts at installation (or if the joist is metal or another material not suited for attachment by hammering), these types of brackets become essentially useless for the intended purpose.
Furthermore, the pointed ends or prongs of some support members occasionally become unseated, thereby allowing the material that is being supported to sag and loose some of its function (e.g., reduction of the R-value of insulation through compaction), or worse, loosen or break (e.g., ducts or pipes).
Metallic hangers are well suited for insulation hanging in hot climates due to their heat transfer properties. In contrast, some plastics and other materials tend to melt, sag, become brittle, or become otherwise impaired due to repeated exposure to extreme temperatures. However, many hangers made of metal are difficult to use in hanging insulation because they are not adjustable or only adjustable in one dimension (i.e., vertically or horizontally). Thus, either differently spaced joists or different depths of insulation cannot be accommodated.
Thus, it continues to be desirable for there to be a support member or bracket that is easily adjusted to a variety of lengths and depths yet is compact and securely fastened to a variety of joist or other building structures to provide a more universal improved bracket for supporting materials such as insulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates in general to an article for holding a material in place that includes a support member having a first wire element for supporting the material and second and third wire elements for coupling the support member to two beams of a structure. At least one of the second and third wire elements is non-liner between its end and the first wire element, thereby providing a structure that is easily expanded or compressed to adjust the length of that wire member.
Preferably, the non-linear second and/or third wire element comprises a generally W-shaped rod or wire member. By having a non-linear wire element, the holders may be made more compact—allowing multiple holding articles to be provided as a kit. Thus, a kit of the invention would include a plurality of holders and a “holster” for housing the plurality of holders together in a convenient location, such as around the waist of a construction worker.
In one aspect of the invention, the holders contain at least one indication of length upon the second and third wire elements such that the second an third wire elements can both be bent to a substantially uniform length, thereby adjusting the overall length of the holder.
In another aspect of the invention, the second wire element includes a first arm and the third wire element includes a second arm, with the first arm and the second arm cooperating to define a generally L-shaped part of the holder, and the second arm having an end which is spaced from the first arm by the support member.
The second and third wire elements can be bent to define a plane that is not parallel to a second plane defined by the first wire element/support member, thereby allowing the support member to be in greater contact with the material being supported (e.g., insulation).
Another aspect of the invention involves a method for supporting a material in a building and includes the steps of: (1) placing a material between two beams of a structure; and (2) confining that material between the beams using a holder of the invention that includes a support member having a first wire element and second and third wire elements that each define openings or ends for coupling the support member to the two beams of the structure, with at least one of the second and third wire elements being adjustable at a non-linear region. Hence, the confining step may further include expanding or compressing the non-linear wire element to a desired length prior to insertion of one of the beams.
The invention further includes a clip member having corner protrusions adapted to hang one or more holders. The corner protrusions preferably have a heat-insulating material disposed thereon, thereby reducing heat transfer among and between wire elements.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention includes the features hereinafter fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such description discloses only some of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to
The supporting element 12 comprises a first wire element 18 having an end which coincides with the end of the anchoring elements 14 and 16 and one-piece second and third wire elements 20 and 22 for anchoring the support member 12 to two beams (e.g., studs) of a structure.
The anchoring element 14 comprises an arm 26 formed as a C-shaped member 28. The second wire element 22 is normal to the first wire element 18, and the wire elements 18 and 22 together define an L-shaped part of the holding article 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the “supporting” wire 12 and the “anchoring” wire 22 are integral, and the L-shaped part of the holding article is formed by bending the holding article.
Third wire element 20 carries a generally U-shaped anchoring member 30 which, in the present case, is integral with the third wire element 20 and also is formed by bending. The U-shaped member 30, which is here suspended from the end of the third wire element 20 remote from the first wire element 18, is located on the opposite side of article 10 as the C-shaped anchoring member 28. The end of wire member 20 is preferably formed as a hook 32, although a variety of configurations may be used depending upon the application. In the illustrated embodiment, the “supporting” wire 12 and the “anchoring” wire 20 are integral, and a second L-shaped part of the holding article is formed by bending the holding article to the conformation shown.
The non-linear first wire element 18 preferably is formed as a W-shaped wire member so that the overall conformation of the article 10 is relatively compact yet enables one to adjust the width of the supporting element 12 to accommodate a variety of materials. By varying the length of the supporting element 12 (and thereby the width of article 10), it also becomes possible to adjust the holding article 10 to different structural conditions, e.g., to different distances between the studs or beams of a structure. Thus, the holder article 10 is adjusted in width by expanding or contracting wire member 18 by applying pulling (e.g., arrows F of
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The U-shaped member 50 is designed to receive and grip a stud or beam of a building structure. The construction of the U-shaped member 50 is such that the U-shaped member 50 can be readily slipped onto a stud or beam. Thus, the gripping portion 58 and the hook 56 are shaped to slide easily when the U-shaped member 50 is pushed over a stud or beam. However, when the U-shaped member 50 is subjected to a force which acts to slide the U-shaped member 50 off the stud or beam, the hook 56 attempts to dig into the stud or beam. The hook 56 then functions as an anchor to hold the U-shaped member 50 on the stud or beam.
The U-shaped member 50 is preferably designed so that the legs 52A, 52B, 54A, and 54B are spread apart elastically when the U-shaped member 50 is pushed onto a stud or beam. Under such circumstances, the legs are urged towards each other after the U-shaped member 50 has been slipped onto the stud or beam thereby increasing the grip of the legs on the stud or beam.
In the embodiment shown in
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Preferably, the method further includes expanding or compressing the non-linear support member to a desired width prior to insertion of one of the beams 92 and 94, as well as bending the second and third elements 102 and 104 to a desired length prior to insertion on the beams. Alternatively, the non-linear portions of second and/or third wire elements (see
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As shown in
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To limit or reduce heat transfer between wire members, protrusions 191 and 192 preferably include heat insulation 197 (e.g., rubber). Thus, when a wire member 198 from a holder is placed through and hung from the protrusion 192 as indicated by arrow 199, any heat contained within clip 190 is insulated from wire member 198.
Various changes in the details and components that have been described may be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the invention herein described in the specification and defined in the appended claims. For example, the holders of the invention may be used to “double stack” insulation (i.e., hang a second layer of insulation) where previously installed insulation is inadequate or has become compressed and lost some of its “R-value.” Thus, the adjustable width and length of the holder of the invention is useful for retrofitting existing structures. Moreover, the term “beams” is meant to encompass a wide variety of structures (i.e., not just rectangular or I-shaped structures) between which insulation or other building materials would commonly be disposed. Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent processes and products.
Claims
1. An article for holding a material in place, comprising:
- a support member having a first wire element for supporting said material; and
- second and third wire elements for coupling said support member to two beams of a structure, each of said second and third wire elements being contiguous with said first wire element and defining an end adapted to be secured to each one of the two beams, wherein at least one of said second and third wire elements is non-linear between said end and said first wire element.
2. The article of claim 1, wherein said at least one non-linear wire element comprises a W-shaped wire member.
3. The article of claim 1, wherein both the second and third wire elements comprise a W-shaped wire member.
4. The article of claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third wire elements comprise a W-shaped wire member.
5. The article of claim 1, wherein said second wire element comprises a first arm and said third wire element comprises a second arm, said first arm and said second arm cooperating to define a generally L-shaped part of said article, and said second arm having an end which is spaced from said first arm by adjusting the length of the first wire element.
6. The article of claim 1, wherein said second and third wire elements are configured to define a plane that is not parallel to a second plane defined by said first wire element.
7. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said second and third wire elements includes a generally U-shaped member which defines an opening and has a pair of spaced legs, at least one of said legs having a sharpened end portion which anchors said article on respective one of said beams.
8. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said second and third wire elements includes a pair of bracket-like members that define an opening that anchors said article to an I-beam.
9. The article of claim 1, wherein said article contains at least one indication of length upon said second and third elements such that the second an third elements can both be bent to a substantially uniform length.
10. A kit, comprising:
- a plurality of holders, said holders each including a support member having a first wire element for supporting said material and second and third wire elements for coupling said support member to two beams of a structure, each of said second and third wire elements being contiguous with said first wire element and defining an end adapted to be secured to each one of the two beams, wherein at least one of said second and third wire elements is non-linear between said end and said first wire element; and
- a holster for housing said plurality of holders together.
11. The kit of claim 10, wherein said holders contain at least one indication of length upon said second and third wire elements such that the second an third elements can both be bent to a substantially uniform length.
12. The kit of claim 10, wherein said holster contains a slot disposed on an exterior surface of said holster, said slot being adapted for bending one or more of said plurality of holders.
13. The kit of claim 10, wherein said holster contains an indication of measurement disposed upon an exterior surface thereof.
14. The kit of claim 10, wherein said holster further comprises a pressure-backing adapted to keep said holders substantially engaged within said holster.
15. The kit of claim 14, wherein said pressure member includes a spring.
16. A method for supporting a material in a building, comprising the step of:
- confining said material between two beams using a holder, said holder including a support member having a first wire element for supporting said material and second and third wire elements for coupling said support member to said two beams of a structure, each of said second and third wire elements being contiguous with said first wire element and defining an end adapted to be secured to each one of the two beams, wherein at least one of said second and third wire elements is non-linear between said end and said first wire element.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of confining further includes expanding or compressing said at least one non-linear wire element to a desired length prior to securing said holder to one of said beams.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the confining step further includes bending said second and said third wire elements at a desired length prior to securing said holder to one of said beams.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said bending of said second and third wire elements is at an indication of length disposed thereon.
20. An article for holding a material in place, comprising:
- a U-shaped clip adapted for coupling to a beam structure, said clip including a protrusion formed at a corner of said clip, wherein said protrusion is adapted to cooperate with a wire holder.
21. The article of claim 20, wherein said protrusion further includes a heat insulating material disposed thereon.
22. The article of claim 21, wherein said heat insulting material is rubber.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 3, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 22, 2007
Inventor: Francisco Sillik (Tucson, AZ)
Application Number: 11/368,138
International Classification: E04B 1/38 (20060101); E04B 1/74 (20060101); E04C 5/00 (20060101);