CA2359707A1 - Wood stud crossbrace fastener plate - Google Patents

Description

SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to a manually applied fastening device for securing wood stud crossbraces into wood or metal joist spaces, or, wood or metal wall stud spaces or any other area the fastening device can be applied for the securing to, and/or supporting of mechanical plumbing or piping systems, or electrical conduit systems, in the vertical or horizontal planes, in the construction industry.
It is common mainly in the plumbing trade construction industry and to a lesser degree the electrical trade construction industry in the installation process of mechanical systems to encounter significant difficulty securing and/or supporting in place pipes, tubes, tubing, conduits, or fixture valves, such as bathtub or shower valves, properly and in a timely efficient manner. This is due to the arrangement of irregular joist spacing, or irregular wall stud spacing but mainly standard joist spacing, or wall stud spacing creates significant difficulties to begin with.
There is no good or effective standard installation system that exists that effectively overcomes the inherant difficulties encountered by installers when supporting and securing mechanical piping systems in these areas. Currently the method is to custom install wood stud crossbraces by toe-nailing these braces into place. This often splits or damages the ends of the wood stud crossbrace decreasing its reliability, and weakening it significantly. This is also why screws cannot be used in tight places to the ends of the wood stud crossbrace at angles. A wood stud crossbrace can be employed only when enough room in a given situation is available to allow nails to be hammered into place satisfactorally, and more often than not, this is not the case even when room to hammer is available.

-2-When a satisfactory amount of room is available to nail a wood stud crossbrace into place within a joist space, or wall stud space the action of hammering the nails distorts the position and the alignment of the wood stud crossbrace because it is being held in place by hand. This is why even in a relatively good situation it is difficult to get a satisfactory result. These situations usually involve settling for a "close enough" arrangement, but even this is unsatisfactory the majority of the time, even when installed by the most competent, qualified, and experienced professional installers.
In the case of a joist space where a crossbrace cannot be nailed into place or otherwise secrured in place, the practice is use a piece of "hanger strap" screwed to the plywood flooring above the joists and to hang a sufficient lengh of strapping down to loop the strapping around the pipe to be supported and secure the strap loop just above the pipe with a stove bolt.
This is often the best that can be achieved, but it creates many operational problems when the plumbing is being used, such as rattling noises due to excessive vibration, because this method does not precisely meet the plumbing code installation requirements, that, dictate that mechanical piping systems must be "supported" and "secured" at regular code defined intervals from thrust movements or vibration during operation. The hanger strap method does support the weight of the pipe but cannot secure the pipe from swinging in a limited pendulum motion or thrusting axially when operating. However these installations often pass inspection despite the plumbing code requirements because the inspector understands that there is no better available method currently, of installation in these circumstances.

-3-I have found that these disadvantages may be overcome by providing a fastening device that attaches to the ends of a wood stud crossbrace that will allow easy accurate positioning and alignment of a wood stud crossbrace as well as easy repositioning or realignment or even removal if necesary. By employing a quick easy method of securing a wood stud crossbrace with a new type of fastening device which attaches to each end of a wood stud crossbrace, for installing it into any joist space, or wall stud space, in the vertical or horizontal planes. The use of the fastening device eliminates the difficulty and previous necessity of having to nail a wood stud crossbrace in place, by hand while aligning it at the same time, which is often akward enough, or by using screws, without splitting or otherwise damaging the ends of the wood stud crossbrace. Because the installation of the fastening device and wood stud crossbrace assembly can be done into a joist space or wall stud space using screws without damaging and therefore weakening the wood stud crossbrace stud ends, this eliminates the restrictions of where a wood stud crossbrace can be installed. Room for hammering to use nails, or attempting to use screws directly risks splitting or damaging the wood stud crossbrace and limits the installation or the ability to install a wood stud crossbrace.
With the ability to install a wood stud crossbrace where needed, especially in areas previously difficult or impossible to accomplish installation adequetly by conventional methods, achieving satisfactory adherence to the requirements of the plumbing code, that mechanical systems must be "supported"
and "secured" at regular code defined intervals can be more precisely followed in the field. Also by overcoming the limits of the current conventional methods of present mechanical systems installation practices a significant quality of installation and functional improvement would benefit everyone concerned with or affected by better installation practices.

-4-The tradesman installer can better comply with the plumbing code requirements more fully while saving valuable labor time if the right tools to assist him/her exists, and the building owner would recieve mechanical systems that are much less likely, if at all, to function poorly due to excessive noise or vibrations caused by poorly supported and secured mechanical piping systems, which is a huge source of complaints seen by plumbers, and the plumbing industy in particular.
In the drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a top view of this embodiment , Figure 2 is a section of the line II-II of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a section of the line I-I of Figure 1, Figure 4 is an off angle exploded view of installation in elevation of this embodiment, Figure S is an off angle installed elevation view of this embodiment, Figure 6 is a single installed elevation in section of this embodiment, Figure 7 is a complete assembly installed in elevation in section of two examples as they would be used mainly in pairs of this embodiment.
The fastening device illustrated is comprised of a main body 4 and may be made from any suitable material, but, in the form shown is sheet metal, which would best be a galvanized or otherwise corrosion resistant or coated sheet metal. Sheet metal would appear to be the best material as the fastening device is meant to be as thin as possible, and to be thin enough to be used without having to allow for the thickness of the fastening devices installed on either end of the wood stud crossbrace, when measuring the length of the wood stud. This would not be the case if the fastening device was made from a material like plastic for example, and would be less desirable to use. The width dimension of the fastening device is specific to the width dimension of a wood stud A, the fastening device main body 4 should be no wider than 37mm or 1-7/16 inches wide, however the fastening device main body 4 -S-may be slightly narrower than the approximate width of a wood stud A. This optimizes the versatility of installation and placement for the combined fastening device, and wood stud A, to be used as a crossbrace, assembly, in various mounting situations.
Near each end of the fastening device lengthwise are alignment tabs 2, one alignment tab on each end, for the purpose of centering a wood stud A lengthwise between them, on the fastening device lengthwise, centering alignment widthwise is done using the edge of the device as a guide to to center it on the end of the wood stud A. The alignment tabs 2 also align the fastening, and the end of the wood stud A
radially in relation to the fastening device. In this embodiment the distance between the alignment tabs 2 is specific to the inside dimension lengthwise between the tabs 2 and is 86mm or 3-3/8 inches, however the distance between the alignment tabs 2 is not limited to this distance.
The alignment tabs 2 may be of any suitable shape, but, in the form shown is a half circle shape partially stamped out, or cut out, of the main body of the device along the circumference edge of the alignment tabs 2 and bent outward both in the same direction to an approximately 90°
perpendicular angle from the main body of the fastening device as shown in section in Figure .3. The alignment tabs 2 being displaced from the main body of the fastening device leave tab shaped void holes 3 determined by the shape of the alignment tabs 2, but, in the form shown is a half circle shape.
The fastening devices is secured to both of the ends of a wood stud A, to be used as a crossbrace, by the use of nails B, as shown in Figures 4-7, the nails B are driven in to the wood stud A end through the nail fastening holes 1, which should be centered in the width dimension of the fastening device, as shown in Figure 1, for the most secure attachement, and the least risk of splitting or damaging the end of the wood stud A
accidentally.
The nail fastening holes 1 are spaced away from the center position nail hole 1 in the lengthwise dimension in between the alignment tabs 2, which are situated lengthwise on either end of the three center nail fastening holes 1 line group.
The fastening device, and wood stud A, to be used as a crossbrace, assembly, to mounting surface D, screw fastening holes 6, by screws C, are the center main screw fastening holes for attaching the assembly to a mounting surface D, and are centered in the widthwise dimension, and centered between the outer width edge of the fastening device and the alignment tabs 2, in the lengthwise dimension at both ends of the fastening device.
The fastening device, and wood stud A, to be used as a crossbrace, assembly, to mounting surface D, screw fastening holes 5, by screws C, are the offset secondary screw fastening holes 5 for attaching the assembly to a mounting surface, and are offset away from the center screw fastening holes 6 in the widthwise dimension on either side of the center screw fastening holes 6, and should also be centered lengthwise, as shown in this embodiment, between the width edge of the fastening device and the alignment tabs 2 at both ends of the fastening devices but are not restricted exclusively to these positions or necesarily required to be present at all, but does enhance the versatility of the fastening device in some situations. In the embodiments shown in Figure 1,3 , the nail fastening holes 1, and the screw fastening holes 5,6 , the diameter of all the fastening holes, but not including the tab void holes 3, is the same at 3mm or 1/8 inch , based on the sizes of nails B , or screws c , most commonly used in the plumbing trade construction industry. If the holes were smaller the most commonly used screws C , or nails B , inserted through the holes would deform the fastening device and may cause spacing problems, if the holes were larger the nails B, or Brews C inserted through the holes may allow the wood stud A
to shift position in relation to the fastening device if any force is applied to it in line with the alignment tabs 2, due to the holes having too much space around the shaft of the screw C , or nail B , however the screw fastening holes 5&6 are not restricted exclusively to the size specified.

Claims