Abstract
An insulation mounting system utilizing a thermal break consisting of radiused and/or straight channels, slots and holes for the purpose of mounting specially shaped formed wire to hold-in-place rigid insulation installed onto walls of buildings. A structural clip for further positioning, holding, bending and/or directing the same formed wire shapes. A sub-girt that attaches to the structural clips vertically or horizontally as needed, a wire bending tool for use at intermediate formed wire locations between assembled thermal clips, and an anti-reversal clip with bendable attachment arm for holding other building materials if needed. Multiple alternate embodiments for the thermal break, formed wires and structural dips show that there's an almost a limitless amount of variations that a person skilled in the art could imagine and not exceed the scope of the application.
Claims
1. A device for attaching insulation to other insulation, comprising formed wires having: A coil, said coil having one or more extensions protruding from it, said extensions having arms permanently affixed and substantially perpendicular to them. Said arms terminating in an end, said ends angled towards each other Said arms able to be forcibly opened utilizing said coil as a spring.
2. A device for attaching insulation to a wall, comprising formed wires having: Spring wire, said spring wire having one or more extensions protruding from it, said extensions having arms permanently affixed. Said arms able to be forcibly opened or closed utilizing said coil as a spring.
3. The device of claim 2 which said arms are shaped to follow a leading edge into insulation material.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 is a 3D isometric plan view of the thermal break of the preferred embodiment.
[0040] FIG. 2 is a 3D elevation isometric view of a formed wire of the preferred embodiment.
[0041] FIG. 3 is a 3D elevation isometric view of a structural clip of the preferred embodiment.
[0042] FIG. 4 is a 3D elevation isometric view of back the Structural Clip of the preferred embodiment.
[0043] FIG. 5 is a 3D front/side isometric view of two of the assembled thermal dips with formed wires installed. The closer assembled thermal clip shows the wire still in the upward position prior to insulation being installed on that side. The farther assembled thermal clip shows the formed wire bent downwards as if the insulation had already been installed.
[0044] FIG. 6 shows a section view of the assembled thermal clips installed on a wall with the insulation being installed. The insulation is pulled back at the assembled thermal clip to show how each part shown of the present invention interact with the insulation.
[0045] FIG. 7 shows a fuller view of the section view of FIG. 6 with insulation batts installed onto the wall which includes a sill on the bottom and jamb on the left. The insulation batts on the left are fully installed and the batts on the far right are in the process of being installed. The formed wires in this drawing are pre-bent, but final bending by hand of the band at the structural clip has not been done on some of the formed wires to the right.
[0046] FIG. 8 shows a rear isometric view of an alternate thermal break, structural clip and formed wire where the formed wire spans between two assembled thermal dips to hold insulation batts in place when inserted. The impaling end would be bent to prevent it from backing out of the thermal break, as would the anti-reversing portion of the thermal break when the horizontal arm is installed, in addition to the installed insulation batt on the side of the horizontal arm of the formed wire.
[0047] FIG. 9 shows a 3D isometric view of the back of an alternate thermal clip with support arms that assist in keeping the formed wire from moving side to side in conjunction with the inside of the gusset. There are also various shaped formed wires that once installed and bent into position can't be easily positioned otherwise.
[0048] FIG. 10 shows a 3D isometric sectional view of an alternate thermal break, structural clip and formed wire where the formed wire is installed into the structural clip on the right, and on the left the same formed wire has been fully rotated into the insulation with the horizontal arm protruding out of the bottom of the structural clip bent downwards in order to prevent the formed wire to back out when insulation is installed on both sides of the assembled thermal clip.
[0049] FIG. 11 shows a 3D isometric side view of the formed wires of FIG. 10 being used as a ‘stitching’ mechanism to combine smaller pieces of insulation to larger pieces of insulation without the used of other structural means. The formed wire is turned into both pieces of insulation to hold them together in a fashion similar to stitching a wound on a person. Once fully inserted, the impaling end can be bent over similar to the closer inserted formed wire, or have an anti-reversal clip attached similar to the more distant formed wire.
[0050] FIG. 12 shows in 3D isometric view an alternate formed wire with an alternate thermal break that may be used between assembled thermal clips when the spacing is too far away to effectively capture the insulation properly. The assembly of this drawing would have the radiused portion of the formed wire to be installed into the insulation on the left first, then the thermal break would be mechanically fastened to the building substrate to hold the assembly in place prior to the insulation on the right being installed over the vertical pin. The vertical pin would require an anti-reversal clip after the insulation is installed.
[0051] FIG. 13 shows in 3D an isometric view of an alternate formed wire and thermal break combination where the formed wire is welded at the level below the installed insulation so that the left and right arms of the formed wire can be separated and inserted into the installed insulation to hold them in place permanently. The screw that holds the thermal break to the building substrate also contacts and prevents the formed wire assembly from leaving the thermal break once installed.
[0052] FIG. 14 shows in 3D an elevation isometric view of a cork-screw style formed wire that would engage the thermal break and/or structural clip or sub-girt in order to penetrate the rigid insulation to hold it in place once fully inserted. The horizontal arm of the formed wire would be held in place and prevented from backing out utilizing anti-reversal hooks barbs in or on the thermal break and/or structural dip/sub-girt.
[0053] FIG. 15 shows in 3D an isometric plan view of an alternate formed wire assembly that would attach to more than one thermal break or structural clip in a vertical or horizontal orientation as required. The impaling pins would penetrate the insulation from below, above or from the sides from one or more sides (from one side is shown). There would be attachment points at certain locations as required, however fastening means other than this may be used such as specially formed washers with indentations for the wire to fit under when used with screws.
[0054] FIG. 16 shows in 3D an isometric side plan view of alternate formed pins or a formed pin assembly, thermal break and structural clip. The formed wires are held in place via grooves, slots or holes in the thermal break. The structural clip has ‘helping hands’ positioned at angles to help maintain the structural strength of the structural clip yet help prevent some thermal transfer towards the building substrate.
[0055] FIG. 17 shows in 3D isometric an elevation view the folding tool of the present invention with a formed wire inserted and ready for final bending of one location of the formed wire.
[0056] FIG. 18 shows in 3D isometric an elevation view the folding tool of FIG. 17 with the formed wire bent due to the fingers of the folding tool holding the formed wire in one location while bending another with a separate pin. The folding tool would be used in an application as is shown in FIG. 19.
[0057] FIG. 19 shows in 3D isometric elevation view of a formed wire and thermal break of the preferred embodiment. The formed wire is a 3 dimensional part whereas many of the others have been 2 dimensional. The thermal break is able to be used from either side as its symmetrical either direction for ease of installation. With this assembly the thermal break is installed when the assembled thermal clips are spaced too far apart, yet the formed wires install similarly as the preferred embodiment. The final bend at the pre-bent location above arm 230 would be made using the wire bending tool of FIGS. 17 and 18.
[0058] FIG. 20 shows in 3D an isometric plan of a formed wire for ‘stitching’ insulation batts together. The formed wire on the left has arms 248 squeezed in by had to temporarily bending horizontal arm 246 in order to spread arms 250 away from each other at the extremities. Arms 251 are bent slightly inwards and inserted into the insulation simultaneously while releasing arms 248. The formed wire to the right holds the permanent orientation of the part, and when a arms 248 are released the formed wire tries to return to this shape, pulling the insulation batts together. Because arms 251 are bent slightly inward, they will pull the bottom of the insulation together as well as the top of the insulation because the slight bend takes into consideration spring-back of the formed wire, and will not be easily pulled out. Horizontal arm 246 and arms 248 may be equally shown as one or more circular coils (not shown) to provide the same effect.
[0059] FIG. 21 shows in 3D an isometric plan view of a ‘stitching’ formed wire of the preferred embodiment. Arms 256 are separated near arms 258 creating tension within arms 258 as well as in arm 254 due to bending them. Arms 258 are slightly bent inwards in order to pull the bottom of the insulation together as well as the top of the insulation because the slight bend takes into consideration spring-back of the formed wire.
[0060] For a better understanding of the invention of this application, reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof which should be referenced to the prior described drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0061] Various aspects of the present application will evolve from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof which should be taken in conjunction with the prior described drawings.
[0062] Embodiments of the invention are identified by reference character A followed by an upper case letter to denote the variations of the same. The assembled embodiment of the preferred embodiment is denoted as ZZ. Elements of the embodiments are identified by numerical reference.
[0063] With reference to FIG. 1, it may be observed that thermal break A is depicted which includes base 10 having at least one contiguous surface, and may be separated by at least one slot 12. Slots 12 may have different radiuses in the bottom of the slots, and may be different widths to accommodate differing width formed wires B (shown in FIG. 2). Cavities 14 help reduce material usage without significant loss of structural or thermal transfer properties. Cavities 16 also help reduce material usage without significant loss of structural or thermal transfer properties, but also act as a marketing tool to installers. Nubs 18 are used to frictionally fit into holes 50 of structural clip C of FIG. 3. Cavity 20 is formed for installation of a mechanical fastener (not shown) but may not directly contact the fastener. Ledge 22 firmly contacts the mechanical fastener (not shown) allowing it to pass into through hole 28 during installation, but helps prevent it from backing out after installation similar to a ‘nyloc’ nut (not shown) used for anti-reversal of machine bolts (not shown). Cavities 24 and 30 are of numbers showing the insulation thicknesses to be used on each side as the radii and widths in slots 12 may differ for insulation batt 86 (FIG. 10) thickness and width. Walls 26 tightly fit formed wire B of FIG. 2 to help prevent it from moving perpendicular to the radius of formed wire 8, especially when structural clip C of FIG. 3 is positioned over the top to prevent formed wire B from coming out of slot 12.
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 2 it may be observed that formed wire B is shown having impaling end 32 at the end of radiused arm 34 which is substantially perpendicularly positioned to arm 36. Bend 38 is pre-bent but will be bent further and permanently during installation. Arm 40 is substantially perpendicular to radiused arm 44 at bend 42, with radiused arm 44 having impaling end 46 at it's extremity.
[0065] With reference to FIG. 3, structural clip C is shown having base 48 with nub holes 50 for insertion of nubs 18 of thermal break A. Holes 52 align with holes 20 of thermal break A for insertion of mechanical fasteners (not shown) as an assembly. Side 54 is used to fasten mechanical fasteners (not shown) wherever needed when installing sub-girts (not shown) permanently. Gusset 56 helps strengthen structural clip C's permanent shape. Arm 58 is may be a screwed into anywhere on horizontal plane 59. Finger 62 protrudes from arm 59 with hook 64 positioned downwardly for a short distance. Space 60 is created therebetween which will allow for formed wire B to occupy during installation. Slot 66 allows for a mechanical fastener (not shown) to pass through to engage a sub-girt (not shown) which will allow the sub-girt to be placed in the correct position before fastening another mechanical fastener (not shown) through hole 68 for permanent fixing.
[0066] FIG. 4 shows the reverse side of the structural clip C of FIG. 3 further containing drop down 67 supporting ledge 70 and upright 72 which provides for slot 74. Ledge 70 is spaced apart from side 54 creating space 75 for positioning of formed wire B behind during installation but before final bending of bend 38. Formed wire B is further bent at bend 38 on the inside edge of ledge 70 so that formed wire B rests in slot 74. Arm 36 is then pushed under hook 64 where it will spring back into surface 76 where it will remain locked in position. Insulation batt (not shown) will be tight against the bottom of hook 64 and the bottom of arm 36 of formed wire B to prevent formed wire B from departing from structural clip C. Radiused entrance 78 along with gusset interior 80 provide space 82 that allows for fast and easy insertion of formed wire B into slot 12 when thermal break A is attached to structural clip C.
[0067] FIG. 5 shows 2 sets of assembled thermal clip ZZ. The near assembled thermal clip ZZ possesses formed wire B's arm 36 not yet bent but positioned in space 75 and ready to be bent. The for assembled thermal clip ZZ shows formed wire B fully bent at bend 38 and permanently positioned in slot 74 and under surface 76.
[0068] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of a wall assembly with assembled thermal clip ZZ with formed wire B fully inserted to insulation 86 in all locations except for those on the right side where insulation 86 has not yet been inserted. Weather barrier 84 is shown in the background and sill 88 is positioned at the bottom of the wall assembly.
[0069] FIG. 7 shows a more complete wall assembly of FIG. 6 with sub-girts 90 installed vertically.
[0070] FIG. 8 shows an alternate thermal break AB with alternate structural clip CB and alternate formed wire BB. Holes and slots 92 are used to install alternate formed wires (not shown here). Ledge 94 is used to pinch formed wire BB between grooves 96 when receiving impaling end 106 of formed wire BB. Surface 98 may be used to mount 2 girts (not shown) vertically or horizontally via mechanical fasteners (not shown). Thermal break AB has support arms 100 that help prevent lateral movement of a formed wire (not shown) when the formed wire (not shown) is installed vertically. Slot 102 contains snap 104 to prevent arm 105 of formed wire BB from pulling back out once it's positioned into slot 102 and past snap 104. Opposing grooves 108 may be used in place of ledge 94 for a more positive hold on formed wire 8B. Space 110 creates a larger opening for impaling end 106 to enter which will guide impaling end 106 into the radiused slot 111 quickly and easily.
[0071] FIG. 9 shows the thermal break AB and structural clip CB of FIG. 8 with assorted formed wires inserted including B, BC and BD.
[0072] FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment with formed wire BA fully inserted into insulation 86 on the left side of the drawing, and formed wire BA not yet inserted into insulation 86 on the right side of the drawing. This alternate embodiment shows thermal break AC, structural clip CC and formed wire BA. Thermal break AC has surface 112 that protrudes past the end of the structural clip CC which has not been common for the previous thermal breaks. Surface 112 holds insulation 86 up so that formed wire BA can penetrate each insulation batt 86 from the very bottom in order to penetrate all layers in the thickness of insulation 86. Insertion arm 114 of formed wire BA slides through inside of barrel 118 of structural clip CC and comes out end 116 when fully inserted. Arm 120 is positioned perpendicular to insertion arm 114, and is also positioned substantially perpendicular to the beginning of radiused arm 122 having impaling end 124. Teardrop shaped hole 126 is made in structural clip CC to help guide formed wire BA's impaling end 124 into slot (not shown) of thermal break AC. Radiused arm 122 is perpendicular in plane to insertion arm 114, and insertion arm 114 is in the center of the radius of radiused arm 122 in order to provide the smoothest passage through insulation 86.
[0073] FIG. 11 shows formed wire BA of FIG. 10 used as a ‘stitching’ device to combine 2 a separate pieces of insulation 86 together side by side. There are 2 formed wire BA's shown inserted into insulation 86 with the one closer fully inserted into the 2 pieces of insulation 86 and then having impaling end 124 bent to prevent it from backing out. The farther away formed wire BA has an anti-reversal clip 128 attached to the impaling end 124 so that it can't back out.
[0074] FIG. 12 shows an alternate thermal break AD with alternate formed wire BE which would be used between assembled thermal dips ZZ when they are spaced too far apart to assist holding insulation 86 in place properly. Thermal dip AD has slot 130 under surface 132 for insertion of formed wire BE which will be captured temporarily in vertical slot 141 and snap 142. Through hole 134 has an outer diameter bore 136 with inner ledge 138 to be used as a ‘nyloc’ style anti-reversal mechanism for mechanical fasteners (not shown). Arm 144 of formed wire BE is perpendicular to arm 146 with impaling end 148 on one side, and perpendicular to arm 150 which snap fits into vertical slot 141. Drop arm 152 brings radiused arm 154 closer to the weather barrier (not shown) but doesn't touch it. Impaling end 156 is inserted into insulation 86 manually before thermal break AD is fastened to the substrate.
[0075] FIG. 13 shows an optional thermal clip AE and optional formed wire BF. Formed wire BF has radiused arms 158 positioned substantially perpendicular to arms 160 which are affixed to each other via weld or other mechanical fastening means no higher than the surface location of the insulation 86, shown at location 162. Mounting holes 164 of thermal break AE are adjacent to feet 166 of formed wire BF so that when mechanical fasteners (not shown) are installed their flange also covers the top of feet 166 to prevent formed wire BF from coming away from thermal break AE. Impaling ends 168 penetrate insulation 86, one in each adjacent insulation batt 86 when arms 160 are bent away from each other in opposing directions, putting radiused arms 158 fully into two separate insulation batts 86. The outer edge of radiused arms 158 are positioned at angles to the edge of insulation batts 86 so as to minimally interfere with the a installation of insulation ban 86. Radiused arms 158 may be moved to the side by insulation 86 or the person installing (not shown) in order to fit insulation batt 86 into it's final fixed position.
[0076] FIG. 14 shows an alternate formed wire BG that may be used like a cork screw to insert into and hold insulation 86 in place, being directed and ultimately held by a thermal break (not shown), structural clip (not shown) and/or sub-girt (not shown). Formed wire BG has impaling end 170, spiral 172, turning arm 174 and bendable end 176 to prevent it from backing out without the help of insulation 86 preventing it from counter-rotating.
[0077] FIG. 15 shows an alternate formed wire BF with mounting main wire 178, attachment holes 180 which are created by loop 182. Arch 184 is for connection to a center structural clip (not shown) or sub-girt (not shown). Arch 184 and holes 180 will be separated by distances that make sense to connect to other structural members, and they can be positioned in any direction in relationship to arms 190 depending on the installation method. Top 186 allows arch 184 to rest on a mechanical fastener (not shown) before and after it's tightened into the substrate. Impaling ends 188 are connected to arms 190 which will be inserted into insulation 86. Arms 190 are positioned perpendicular to arms 192 which are attached by weld at intersection 194.
[0078] FIG. 16 shows an alternate thermal break AF, alternate structural clip CD and alternate formed wire assembly BG. Formed wire BG has arms 196 that form an “X” when 2 mirrored pieces are welded together in the middle (not shown). The “X” (not shown) is positioned under thermal break AF in slots 202 matching the form of formed wire assembly BG, with slots 202 positioned on the bottom 204 of thermal break AF. Arms 196 are positioned perpendicular to arms 198 having impaling ends 200.
[0079] FIG. 17 shows wire bending tool D having handles 206 covering part of arms 208 and 218. Arms 208 and 218 are connected by pin 210. Pins 212, 214 and 220 are used to work together to bend a wire when formed wire B is positioned in the wire bending tool D and handles 206 are separated from each other. Beveled end 216 allows for wire bending tool D to be inserted between insulation batts 86 to disturb them minimally without damage.
[0080] FIG. 18 shows the wire bending tool D of FIG. 17 with formed wire 8 bent to it's final shape.
[0081] FIG. 19 shows the preferred embodiment of the intermediate thermal break AG and formed wire BH which will be used when assembled thermal clips 22 are spaced too far apart to correctly hold and support insulation 86. Formed wire BH has impaling end 222 at the end of radiused arm 224. Thermal break has slot 242 for insertion of radiused arm 224 to pass through with the same radius. Snaps 228 of thermal break AG ensure that horizontal arm 226 of formed wire BH doesn't come back out once it's inserted, even without the assistance of adjacently installed insulation 86. Arm 232 is positioned substantially perpendicular to radiused arm 234 which has impaling end 236 at it's extremity. Mounting holes 238 and 244 may be replaced by a single hole (not shown) in the middle of thermal break AG that would assist in holding formed wire BH in position if surface 240 doesn't cover the top of slots 242. The bottom of thermal break AG (not shown) may be concave to help prevent unwanted rotation of it when using only one mechanical fastener (not shown).
[0082] FIG. 20 shows an alternate ‘stitching’ formed wire BI with arm 246 positioned perpendicular to arms 248 which are positioned at an angle to arms 250 which overlap each other at a point along their lengths. Arms 251 with impaling ends 252 are positioned somewhat perpendicular to arms 250, however slightly bent inwards. Formed wire BI is intended to be pushed open, have impaling arms 252 and arms 251 inserted into 2 pieces of adjacent insulation 86 and then released in order to spring the insulation 86 parts close together.
[0083] FIG. 21 shows the preferred embodiment of a ‘stitching’ formed wire BJ with arm 254 being positioned perpendicular to arms 256 which are in turn somewhat perpendicular to arms with impaling ends 260. Arms 258 are bent slightly inwards so that when arms 256 are bent away from each other they create spring back. When arms 258 with impaling ends 260 are fully inserted into 2 adjacent pieces of insulation 86, the arms 256 are released and they spring back causing the insulation 86 pieces to be tightly positioned adjacent to each other.
[0084] While the foregoing embodiments of the application have been set forth in considerable particularity for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention, it may be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the application. Additionally, combinations and interchangeability or inter-use of components and embodiments should be considered apparent to the spirit and principles of the application, and in which all terms are meant in their broadest, reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.
