Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: PIPE SUPPORT BLOCK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to support devices, and more particularly
to
a device suitable for supporting (and securing) pipes, conduit, wire and the
like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the modern world many services such as electricity, gas, water, etc.
are provided to buildings that are remotely located from the source of the
services.
These services, and others, are often delivered from remote locations to
customers using
piping, ductwork, conduit and the like. In addition, buildings have internal
systems such
as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, etc. that also require
the use of
piping, conduit and other elongated structures. These pipes are permanently
secured in
a specific location such that their position and alignment does not change
and/or they
are protected from damage from the elements and human activity.
[0003] One of the ways this is accomplished is by placing pipes on support
blocks
that are mounted upon roofs, and sometimes on indoor surfaces, to secure the
position
and alignment of these pipes a certain distance above a roof or surface. Pipes
are often
mounted a certain distance above roofs for convenience, for increased safety
or because
the laws of a jurisdiction mandate such an arrangement. The pipes may rest
directly on
the support blocks or upon a fixture that itself is mounted on the top of a
support block.
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[0004] Several variations of support blocks are already used in the
construction
industry; however, the known support blocks all suffer from some form of
limitation. As
an example, it is commonly known in the prior art that wooden blocks may be
used to
support piping. Wooden blocks, however, have limitations. One limitation is
that
wooden blocks exposed to the elements will deteriorate or rot over time, thus
requiring
periodic replacement. If the wooden blocks are not replaced then damage may
result to
both the pipe resting on the wooden block and perhaps the roof as well,
possibly further
resulting in an interruption in the delivery of a service and costly repairs.
Another
limitation is related to the weight of wooden blocks and how they are
purchased.
Contractors will typically buy wooden tiles that are cut into individual
blocks, requiring
both the heavy wooden tiles and specialized equipment to be lifted to a roof.
Even if the
wooden tiles are cut into individual blocks before they are lifted to a roof,
the weight of
wooden blocks can be significant.
[0005] Support blocks made of synthetic materials such as plastic are also
known
in the art but the known designs also suffer limitations. Some synthetic
material support
blocks have a base permanently affixed to the bottom of the support block thus
preventing the stacking of two or more blocks. Blocks that cannot be stacked
will take
up more space on a lifting device, which will increase the time and money
required to lift
the support blocks to a roof. Other known synthetic material support blocks
contain an
internal support structure for added strength, but the structure prevents or
hinders the
stacking of multiple blocks.
[0006] Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting
structures,
such as a pipe, on a roof or other surface. In one aspect, the apparatus
comprises two
component parts: a support block and a base.
[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises a
support member and a base member. The support member includes a support
surface.
A pipe is placed on the support surface. According to an embodiment the
apparatus
includes a strap that is attached to the support member. The strap is removed,
and
each end of the strap is inserted into apertures on the top surface of the
support
member to secure the pipe into place.
[0009] According to an embodiment, there is provided a support block, the
support block comprises: a lower portion and an upper portion that includes a
support
surface, the support surface includes a plurality of protrusions which are
configured to
engage a base member.
[00010] According to another embodiment, there is provided a support block
assembly, the support block assembly comprises: a lower portion and an upper
portion
that includes a support surface, the support surface includes a plurality of
protrusions
which are engaged to a base member, and a strap which is locked into place on
the
support surface.
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[00011] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become
apparent
to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following
description of
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00012] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show,
by way of example, embodiments of the present invention and in which:
[00013] Fig. 1 shows in diagrammatic form a support apparatus or block
according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[00014] Fig. 2(a) is a bottom view of the support block of Fig. 1; Fig. 2(b)
shows a
base which can be attached to the support block according to an embodiment of
the
present invention;
[00015] Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the support block of Fig. 2(a) with the
base
installed;
[00016] Fig. 4 shows in diagrammatic form a support block configured to
support
a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[00017] In the drawings, like elements are indicated by like references.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[00018] Reference is first made to Fig. 1 which shows in diagrammatic form a
support block according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is
indicated
generally by reference 100.
[00019] The term pipe or variations thereof will be used throughout the
remaining
portions of this description to refer to any structure and it will be
appreciated by those
skilled in the art that the invention disclosed in this document can be used
for several
applications and to secure a variety of structures.
[00020] The support block 100 depicted in Fig. 1 comprises an upper portion
110,
a lower portion 120, and a plurality of slots indicated individually by
references 140a,
140b, 140c to 140n. According to an embodiment, the support block 100 includes
a
strap 130. According to an embodiment, the strap 130 is molded with the
support block
100 and attached to the lower portion 120 of the exemplary support block 100
during
the molding process in such a way that the strap 130 can be easily removed by
an
individual. Additional molded strap(s) may be included, for example, during
the molding
process to other portions of the upper portion 110 or the lower portion 120 of
the
support block 100. As shown, the support block 100 (i.e. the upper portion
110)
includes a support surface 112 which provides a surface for supporting the
pipe.
[00021] As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the strap 130 includes one or more latches
or
hooks indicated by reference 132. The latches or hooks 132 engage a respective
pair of
the apertures 140a to 140n. The latches 132 secure or lock each end of the
strap 130
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into place and may be further tightened to secure an object such as a pipe on
the top
surface of the block 100. This configuration is further illustrated in Fig. 4.
[00022] Reference is next made to Fig. 2(a), which shows the underside of the
support block 100 in more detail and Fig. 2(b) which shows a base member 260
which
can be attached to the support block 100. The support block 100 and the base
260
comprise the component parts of a completed support block assembly as shown in
Fig.
3. According to an embodiment and as shown in Fig. 2(a), the support block 100
may
include a plurality of protrusions, e.g. spikes, 230, indicated individually
by references
230a, 230b, 230c, 230d, 230e and 230f which protrude from the underside of the
lower
portion 120. The support block 100 also includes a plurality of ribs 250,
indicated
individually by references 250a, 250b, 250c and 250d. The ribs 250 are
configured to
increase the amount of weight that can be supported by the support block 100.
It will
be appreciated that any number of ribs can be used to strengthen the support
block
100. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the inside of the support block 100 is generally
hollow,
allowing for several support blocks 100 to be stacked on top of each other.
[00023] According to an embodiment, the base 260 comprises a material, such as
closed cell foam, that can be punctured by protrusions 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d,
230e
and 230f. In practice, a technician presses the base 260 against the underside
of the
support block 100 as shown in Fig. 3. Because the base 260 is not pre-attached
to the
support block 100, several support blocks 100 can be stacked on top of each
other and
easily assembled to a corresponding base member 260 on site where the support
block
assemblies (i.e., support blocks 100 with attached bases 260) are to be
installed.
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[00024] Reference is next made to Fig. 3, which shows the support block 100
with
the base member 260 attached to the bottom. As described above, the base 260
is
attached to the underside of support block 100 via the protrusions 230a to
230f (Fig.
2(a)) according to an embodiment.
[00025] Reference is next made to Fig. 4, which illustrates, according to an
embodiment, the use of the support block assembly (i.e., support block 100
with
attached base 260) to support (and secure) a pipe at an installation site,
typically the
roof of a building. As shown, the pipe 410 rests on the support surface 112.
The strap
130 has been removed from the lower portion 120 by a technician and then one
end of
the strap 130 is inserted into the slot 140d and the other end of the strap
130 is inserted
into the slot 140k. The latches or hooks 132 on the strap 130 are configured
to lock the
strap 130 into position. The strap 130 can be further tightened to secure or
lock the
pipe 410. At the installation site, the base 260 is generally attached as
shown in Fig. 3
before securing the pipe 410. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments
of the
present invention different slot configurations or apertures may be provided
for the strap
130. According to an aspect, the slot configurations are based on the size of
the pipe to
be secured to the support block assembly.
[00026] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other
structures and
fixtures can be attached to the upper portion 110 of the support block 100
(i.e. support
surface 112) using the strap 130. For example, it may be desired to secure a
fixture to
the support block 100 and then to secure a pipe onto the fixture. Such an
arrangement
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may be desired to support a pipe at a distance higher than the height of the
support
block 100.
[00027] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certain
adaptations and
modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the
presently discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not
restrictive, the
scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the
foregoing
description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of
equivalency of
the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
