NZ562191A - Pipe hanger bracket assembly with captured rotatable nut - Google Patents

Abstract

A pipe hanger bracket assembly (10 is disclosed. The bracket assembly (10) may be employed to support a suspended elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface. The assembly includes a semi-circular lower band (20) and a semi-circular upper band (30), shaped to completely encircle a pipe, and a barrel nut (40) connected to the upper band (30). The barrel nut (40) is rotatable with respect to the upper band (30) even when the bands are joined together in use. The threaded portion of the nut (40) is used with a threaded member to suspend the pipe.

Description

*10054844990 562 19 1 PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $250.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PIPE HANGER BRACKET ASSEMBLY l/WE Korvest Limited, an Australian company of 580 Prospect Road, KILBURN 5084, South Australia, Australia hereby declare the invention, for which I/We pray that a patent may be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 2 PIPE HANGER BRACKET ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to devices for hanging pipes below ceilings and beams.

BACKGROUND There are a large number of products available for hanging pipes below ceilings and beams. These products include clamps, hooks, straps, plates and brackets. Due to the fact that these products are often installed by piping contractors in a highly competitive market, there is a need for simple to assemble low cost pipe 10 hanger bracket assemblies.

A commonly used bracket assembly system includes a threaded rod connected to a beam or ceiling and a pipe clamp having a nut welded to its upper surface. The bracket and nut can be rotated relative to the threaded bar to secure the bracket to the ceiling. With this arrangement, once the pipe is in place, it is not possible to 15 adjust the height of the clamp. Pipe clamps are available with barrel nuts welded to the upper bracket. While this allows for a greater degree of adjustment, it does not allow the contractor to adjust the height of the clamp once the pipe has been installed within the clamp.

Other pipe brackets use straps that do not snugly encircle the pipe to be supported. 20 Such arrangements may in some cases be easy to install and adjust, but do not provide the degree of stability required in some applications.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved pipe hanger bracket assembly that addresses at least some of the aforementioned problems or shortcomings. 2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a pipe hanger bracket assembly for supporting an elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface, the assembly including: a barrel nut having an upper female threaded portion for receiving a threaded member and a lower nut end defining a flange; a lower band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first lower band end and a second lower band end; an upper band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first upper band end and a second upper band end, the upper band having a nut end receiving portion between the first and second upper band ends, the receiving portion defining a hole within which the nut end rotates, the hole and flange mutually sized to prevent the flange passing through the hole, the receiving portion and the nut end mutually shaped to prevent the external cylindrical surface of the pipe interfering with rotation of the nut with respect to the upper band; and a first fastener means for connecting the first ends together and a second fastener means for connecting the second ends together, wherein the barrel nut is rotatable with respect to the upper band after the fastener means have been fastened so as to clamp the clamping portions of the upper and lower band to the pipe.

With this assembly the installer can easily adjust the height of the pipe after the bracket has been assembled around the pipe by simply rotating the barrel nut with respect to the threaded member (threaded rod or bolt for instance).

Preferably the barrel nut defines a lateral hole or window opening into the female 5 threaded portion that allows the assembler to determine whether or not the threaded member is sufficiently threaded into the barrel nut to safely hold the pipe.

Preferably the assembly includes insulating portions engageable with the clamping portions of the upper and lower bands, in use the insulating portions interposed between the clamping portions and the pipe.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a pipe hanger bracket assembly for supporting an elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface, the assembly including: a barrel nut having an upper female threaded portion for receiving a threaded member and a lower nut end defining a flange; a lower band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first lower band end and a second lower band end; an upper band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first upper band end and a second upper band end, the upper band having a nut end receiving portion between the first and second upper band ends, the receiving portion defining a hole within which the nut end rotates; a retaining means for retaining the nut within the hole; and 4 a first fastener means for connecting the first ends together and a second fastener means for connecting the second ends together, wherein the barrel nut is rotatable with respect to the upper band after installation around the pipe.

Preferably the retaining means comprises the flange, an adjacent recess within the nut and an O-ring received by the recess, the flange and the hole within the upper band mutually sized to prevent the flange passing through the hole and the O-ring sized to prevent the nut falling through the hole before installation around the pipe.

Preferably the barrel nut is shaped to define spanner gripable flats, the flats 10 engageable by a spanner for rotation relative to the threaded member before installation around the pipe.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in some further detail with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying Figures. These embodiments are illustrative, and are not meant to be restrictive of the scope of the 15 invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying representations in which: Figure 1a is an exploded perspective view of a pipe hanger bracket assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 1b is a perspective view of the pipe hanger assembly of Figure 1 in a partly assembled condition; Figure 2a shows the barrel nut component of the assembly shown in Figures 1a and 1b; Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the barrel nut shown in Figure 2a; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an extruded insulation component of the 5 assembly of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a side view of an upper portion of the assembly shown in Figure 2; Figures 5 and 6 are top and end views respectively of the portion shown in Figure 4; Figure 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view through the section lines A-A of Figure 5 10 encompassing the barrel nut portion of the upper portion shown in Figure 4; Figures 8, 9,10 and 11 are similar to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively, but show the upper portion without the barrel nut connected; Figure 12 is a side view of the lower portion of the assembly shown in Figure 2; Figures 13 and 14 are top and end views of the lower portion shown in Figure 12; Figure 15 is a detailed view of a portion of the upper portions shown in Figure 13; and Figure 16 is an exploded perspective view of a pipe hanger bracket assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention; Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a pipe hanger bracket assembly 10 according to a 20 first embodiment of the invention is shown. The assembly 10 comprises a lower band 20, an upper band 30, a barrel nut 40 and a first and second fastener means in the form of screws 50 and 60. Insulating portions 23 and 33 engage the clamp 6 upper and lower bands 30 and 20. These insulating portions can be formed from an extrusion such as the extrusion illustrated in sectional view of Figure 3. Referring to Figure 1b, the pipe hanger assembly 10 is shown in its partially assembled condition. Once the assembly 10 has been assembled around a pipe, the barrel nut 5 40 can still be rotated to allow adjustment of the height of the assembly relative to the ceiling to which it is attached.

The upper band 30 is shown in more detail in Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11. These Figures show that the upper band has a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion 32 terminating in a first upper band end 36 and a second lower band end 38. With this embodiment of the invention, the ends are flanges defining attachment holes 37 and 39. The upper band 30 has an upstanding dimpled region 34 between its first and second ends 36 and 38. The dimpled region 34 defines a hole 35. This hole 35 is provided to receive the barrel nut 40 as is shown in Figure 7.

The barrel nut 40, before it is fixed to the upper band 30, is shown in more detail in Figures 2a and 2b. It has an upper female threaded portion 42 for receiving a threaded member such as a threaded bar or bolt and a lower necked portion 45 which forms the waisted portion 46 that is received within the hole 35 defined by the dimpled region 34 of the upper band 30 in the finished assembly.

While the barrel nut 40 of the embodiment of the invention described above is created from a single piece of metal using a pressing process, in other embodiments of the invention, the barrel nut 40 may comprise separable parts. For instance, the flange 47 may be a separate part connected to the body of the barrel nut. 7 Referring to Figures 12 to 15, it can be seen that the lower band 20 also has a semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion. The clamping portion 32 terminates in a first lower band end 26 and a second lower band end 28.

With this embodiment of the invention, female threads are tapped into extruded 5 attachment holes 37 and 39 as shown in Figures 8 and 11. This allows the lower band 20 to be attached to the upper band 30 as shown in Figure 1b. Figure 13 shows an arcuate shaped slot 24 and a screw head retaining lug 25. These features facilitate quick and easy attachment of the assembly to a pipe.

The barrel nut 40 is transformed from the configuration shown in Figures 2a and 2b 10 to the configuration shown in Figure 7 in a pressing process. The pressing process flares the lower end of the necked region 45 outwards to form the waisted portion 46 above a flange 47 to secure the barrel nut 40 to the upper band 30. The lowermost portion, flange 47 of the nut 40, is wholly contained within the space created by the dimpled region 34 disposed above the outer circumference of the 15 pipe or the outer circumference of the insulation portions 23. Therefore, even when the pipe hanger bracket assembly 10 has been assembled around a pipe, the barrel nut 40 can be rotated with respect to the upper and lower bands 30 and 20.

A second embodiment of the invention in the form of a pipe hanger bracket assembly according to a second aspect of the invention is shown in Figure 16. This 20 embodiment of the invention is similar to the first embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1a to 15 in so far as it comprises a barrel nut, a lower band 20 and an upper band 30 both having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shape pipe clamping portion. The upper band has a nut end receiving portion 31 between it ends. The receiving portion 31 defines a hole in which the nut end 41 rotates. The 25 barrel nut 40 has an upper female threaded portion 42 for receiving a threaded member such as a threaded bar or bolt. The nut end 41 defines a flange 47. The 8 flange 47 has an outside diameter larger than the diameter of the hole within the receiving portion 31 of the upper band. This allows the flange 47 and hence the barrel nut 40 to support the upper band 30.

A retaining means for retaining the nut 40 within the hole within receiving portion 31 5 of the upper band 30 is provided. The retaining means comprises a recess 49' within the nut 40 and an O-ring 49 received by the recess 49'. As stated previously, the nut flange 47 and the hole in the upper band 30 are mutually sized to prevent the flange part coming through the hole. The O-ring 49 is sized to prevent the nut 40 falling through the hole before installation around the pipe.

The barrel nut 40 is shaped to define gripable flats 70. The flats 70 are engageable by a spanner for rotation relative to the threaded member.

Within the embodiments of the invention described above, an annular flange 47 is provided. Alternatively other embodiments of the invention (not shown) a series of radial protrusions may be employed to hold the upper band 30 to the nut 40.

While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment in order to facilitate better understanding of the invention, it should be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all such modifications within its scope. 9

Claims (4)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A pipe hanger bracket assembly for supporting an elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface, the assembly including: a barrel nut having an upper female threaded portion for receiving a threaded member and a lower nut end defining a flange; a lower band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first lower band end and a second lower band end; an upper band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first upper band end and a second upper band end, the upper band having a nut end receiving portion between the first and second upper band ends, the receiving portion defining a hole within which the nut end rotates, the hole and flange mutually sized to prevent the flange passing through the hole, the receiving portion and the nut end mutually shaped to prevent the external cylindrical surface of the pipe interfering with rotation of the nut with respect to the upper band; and a first fastener means for connecting the first ends together and a second fastener means for connecting the second ends together, wherein the barrel nut is rotatable with respect to the upper band after the fastener means have been fastened so as to clamp the clamping portions of the upper and lower band to the pipe.

2. A pipe hanger bracket assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barrel nut defines a lateral hole or window opening into the female threaded portion that 10 allows an assembler to determine whether or not the threaded member is sufficiently threaded into the barrel nut to safely hold the pipe.

3. A pipe hanger bracket assembly for supporting an elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface, the assembly including: a barrel nut having an upper female threaded portion for receiving a threaded member and a lower nut end defining a flange; a lower band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first lower band end and a second lower band end; an upper band having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion and terminating in a first upper band end and a second upper band end, the upper band having a nut end receiving portion between the first and second upper band ends, the receiving portion defining a hole within which the nut end rotates; a retaining means for retaining the nut within the hole; and a first fastener means for connecting the first ends together and a second fastener means for connecting the second ends together, wherein the barrel nut is rotatable with respect to the upper band after installation around the pipe.

4. A pipe hanger bracket assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the retaining means comprises the flange, an adjacent recess within the nut and an O-ring received by the recess, the flange and the hole within the upper band mutually sized to prevent the flange passing through the hole and the O-ring 11 sized to prevent the nut falling through the hole before installation around the pipe. A pipe hanger bracket assembly as claimed in either one of claims 3 or 4 wherein the barrel nut is shaped to define spanner gripable flats, the fiats engageable by a spanner for rotation relative to the threaded member before installation around the pipe. KORVEST LIMITED by their authorised agents 12 ABSTRACT A pipe hanger bracket assembly for supporting an elongate pipe having a cylindrical external surface is disclosed. The assembly 10 includes: a barrel nut 40 having an upper female threaded portion for receiving a threaded member and a lower nut end defining a flange; a lower band 23 having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion; an upper band 30 having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shaped pipe clamping portion, the upper band 30 having a nut end receiving portion between first and second upper band ends, the receiving portion defining a hole within which the nut end rotates, the hole and flange mutually sized to prevent the flange passing through the hole, the receiving portion and the nut end mutually shaped to prevent the external cylindrical surface of the pipe interfering with rotation of the nut 40 with respect to the upper band 30; and fastener means for connecting the lower band 23 and the upper band 30 together, wherein the barrel nut 40 is rotatable with respect to the upper band 30 after the fastener means have been fastened so as to clamp the clamping portions to the pipe. 13