Support Structures for Insulation and Other Materials

Abstract

A holder for supporting a material such as insulation. The holder includes a support member having a first and a second wire element for supporting the material, with each of the first and second wire elements having a first end and a second end adapted to engage two beams. The first and second wire elements also are coupled together at least one point such that a substantially planar and vertical holding surface is formed thereby.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 11 / 301,197, filed on Dec. 12, 2005, which 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 INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] 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. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] 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. [0006] The ends of many related-art insulation hangers are pointed, and the h...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a holder for holding materials in place, which includes a support member with two wire elements that intersect at multiple points to create a stable holding surface. The wire elements can be adjusted to different lengths, allowing the holder to accommodate different materials. The holder can be easily attached to building beams and includes a clip for hanging multiple holders. The technical effects of the invention include improved stability and flexibility for holding materials in place, making it easier to support and protect them during construction."

Problems solved by technology

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.

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).

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.

Moreover, providing a planar and flat surface onto which insulation can rest typically is not provided by hangers that consist of only a single linear member.

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