Support apparatus

Abstract

A support apparatus is disclosed. The support apparatus has a rod comprising a longitudinal section which has a first ridge, a second ridge and a recess defined therebetween. The first and second ridges each comprise a cylindrical surface having a first diameter. The recess has a cylindrical surface and has a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The recess has sloped portions between its cylindrical surface and each of the first and second ridges. The bolt has a cylindrical channel to receive the longitudinal section and has a latch which has a first position to interface with the recess and a second position in which the latch is flexed radially outwards to escape from the recess.

Description

[0001] SUPPORT APPARATUS

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to apparatus for supporting objects, such as pipes, from a surface, such as a ceiling.

[0004] Background

[0005] Suspension and support systems are generally used to hang products from ceilings and support them from floors, walls and roofs. Whilst there are many systems ranging from threaded rod to wire supports, the threaded rod is the most generally used. Threaded rod systems are well known but can be prone to damage, which may make the threading of nuts difficult or impossible. Also, nuts take time to run along the length of a threaded rod.

[0006] European Patent 3,036,444 discloses an apparatus for suspending an object from an anchor point positioned, in use, above it, comprising: an elongate rod having at least one waisted portion; a rod-engaging member; and a lock member, wherein the rod-engaging member comprises: a substantially cylindrical main body having a longitudinal slot running along its entire length; a circumferential ridge disposed around the cylindrical main body, arranged to engage with a complementary recess provided in the object to be suspended; and a portion comprising at least one elongate element having an inwardly facing projection, arranged to engage with the waisted portion of the elongate rod.

[0007] It is an aim of the present disclosure to provide an improved support apparatus.

[0008] Summary of the invention

[0009] Aspects of the disclosure are set out in the independent claims and optional features are set out in the dependent claims. Aspects of the disclosure may be provided in conjunction with each other and features of one aspect may be applied to other aspects.

[0010] Embodiments of the disclosure aim to provide support apparatus comprising any or all of the following features: a rod comprising at least one longitudinal section along a longitudinal axis, the at least one longitudinal section comprising: a first ridge, a second ridge, and a recess defined between the first ridge and the second ridge along the longitudinal axis, wherein the first ridge and the second ridge each comprise a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and having a first diameter, wherein the recess comprises a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and wherein the recess further comprises sloped portions between its cylindrical surface and each of the first ridge and second ridge; and at least one bolt comprising: a cylindrical channel to receive the at least one longitudinal section of the rod; and a latch having a first position in which it interfaces with the recess and a second position in which the latch is flexed radially outwards to escape from the recess.

[0011] The sloped portions may provide a ramp for the latch to facilitate sliding of the bolt along the longitudinal axis from the recess to the first ridge or the second ridge. The sloped portions may be linear, i.e. flat in a direction between the ridge and recess. The arrangement of the recess comprising a cylindrical surface and sloped portions either side thereof may provide a trapezium-shaped recess around a circumference of the rod. This can provide a convenient way of connecting rods to a surface or to other components without requiring the fastening of a nut on the opposite side of the surface to the rod. Furthermore, the profile of the rod including the sloped portions can facilitate more thorough cleaning because it can eliminate the presence of tight comers (e.g. right angle comers) by ensuring that the profile of the rod has external angles of at least 135 degrees.

[0012] The at least one bolt may comprise an exterior surface configured to receive a locking mechanism to retain the latch in its first position. In this way, the locking mechanism can be arranged to restrict radially outward movement of the latch, to prevent the latch from moving from the first position to the second position, and to thereby retain the latch in the recess and prevent movement along the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal section of the rod.

[0013] The exterior surface may be threaded. As such, the exterior surface may be configured to receive a nut, such that the nut may be the locking mechanism, but other locking mechanisms may be envisaged. For example, the locking mechanism may be a threaded bore within a surface. This may provide one way of attaching a rod to another component (e.g. a surface) by connecting the rod to the component via the bolt, and then coupling the bolt to the surface, without needing to rotate the rod itself.

[0014] The latch may be biased to the first position.

[0015] The sloped portions may have an angle between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis. The angle may be 45 degrees. The sloped portion may be defined by a frustoconical shape.

[0016] The recess may surround the entire circumference of the rod. The latch may comprise a circumferential surface configured to interface with the cylindrical surface of the recess.

[0017] The circumferential surface may be arranged between two sloped portions. The sloped portions may be configured to interface with the sloped portions of the recess.

[0018] The latch may be a first latch of a plurality of latches. Each latch of the plurality of latches may be configured to interface with the recess. This can provide multiple latching points between the bolt and the circumference of the recess. The plurality of latches may be circumferentially separated by longitudinal slots at a first axial end of the bolt. The longitudinal slots may separate adjacent latches and facilitate the ability to flex with respect to a second axial end of the bolt.

[0019] The first ridge, the second ridge and the recess may be comprised in an alternating array of ridges and recesses. Each recess may be joined to an adjacent ridge by a sloped portion. This can provide a ribbed rod along which the latch can slide by moving from the first position to the second position as it slides ‘up” a sloped portion from a first recess to a first ridge and subsequently moving from the second position to the first position as it slides “down” a sloped portion from the first ridge to a second recess. The alternating array may comprise three ridges. The alternating array may comprise four ridges, optionally five ridges, optionally six ridges. The alternating array may extend along the entire length of the rod. The at least one longitudinal section may comprise a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section. The at least one bolt may comprise a first bolt and a second bolt. The first bolt may be coupled to the first longitudinal section at a first end of the rod and the second bolt may be coupled to the second longitudinal section at a second end of the rod.

[0020] The support apparatus may comprise a pipe clip configured to surround a pipe. The pipe clip may comprise an attachment feature configured to receive the first bolt at the first axial end of the rod to thereby retain the latch of the first bolt in its first position and prevent movement of the pipe clip relative to the rod.

[0021] The support apparatus may comprise a clamp configured to clamp to a universal beam. The clamp may comprise an attachment means configured to receive the second bolt at the second axial end of the rod to thereby retain the latch of the second bolt in its first position and prevent relative movement between the clamp and the rod.

[0022] The rod may be a U-shaped rod such that the first bolt and the second bolt can be configured to couple to the same planar surface. This may provide a particularly convenient method of securing a pipe or cable arrangement to a surface, such as a cable tray, where the bolt can be tightened from one side of the tray. Furthermore, this arrangement may facilitate adjusting the relative position of the pipe or cable (e.g. its height from a ceiling from which it is suspended) by rotating the first bolt or the second bolt, without needing to release the pipe or cable from the pipe clip.

[0023] The bolt may have a length defined parallel to the longitudinal axis and a width defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the length is longer than the width. It will be appreciated that the width may be the same as the diameter.

[0024] The latch may be comprised on a first axial end of the bolt and the bolt may further comprise at least one latch on a second axial end opposite the first axial end

[0025] The support apparatus may further comprise a sleeve having an internally threaded surface configured to couple with the bolt. Insertion of the bolt and the rod into the sleeve can prevent the latch from moving to its second position, thereby locking the rod in the sleeve.

[0026] The rod may be a first rod and the bolt may be a first bolt configured to be received in a first axial end of the sleeve. The support apparatus may further comprise a second rod and a second bolt configured to be received in a second axial end of the sleeve. An end of each rod opposite to the end coupled to the bolt may comprise a hook or an eye. This arrangement may provide a tensioning mechanism wherein two cables, for example, can be coupled to the hook or the eye of the rods and the tension between the cables can be adjusted by rotating each bolt with respect to the sleeve. As such, this can provide the same functionality as a turnbuckle.

[0027] Embodiments of the disclosure further aim to provide a trapeze strut comprising a first support apparatus as described hereinabove and a second support apparatus as described hereinabove.

[0028] The first apparatus and the second apparatus may be arranged parallel to one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the rods. The rod of the first apparatus may be connected to the rod of the second apparatus by a cross member, such that the position of the cross member relative to the rods can be adjusted along the longitudinal axes and secured by locking the latches in their first position.

[0029] Brief description of the drawings

[0030] Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Fig. 1 shows a side sectional view of support apparatus according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0032] Fig. 2 shows support apparatus in the form of a U-shaped bar with corresponding bolts;

[0033] Fig. 3 shows various rods, bolts and connectors for the support apparatus;

[0034] Fig. 4 shows a trapeze installation employing the support apparatus;

[0035] Fig. 5 shows further embodiments of the support apparatus; Fig. 6 shows the support apparatus employed as a turnbuckle;

[0036] Fig. 7 shows various rods, bolts and connectors for the support apparatus;

[0037] Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of a support apparatus;

[0038] Fig. 9 shows various bolts and configurations of the support apparatus; and Fig. 10 shows the support apparatus employed as a pipe hanger.

[0039] Detailed description of the drawings

[0040] Embodiments of the disclosure relate to support systems. Such systems may include apparatus to suspend equipment, such as pipes or cables, from a surface, such as a ceiling, or may include apparatus to hold equipment against a surface, such as a cable tray. Irrespective of the application, such support systems typically include a rod which needs to be connected to a surface or to some other apparatus. This is typically achieved using a threaded rod which can be inserted into a hole in a cable tray, for example, and secured with a nut on the other side of the cable tray.

[0041] In the present disclosure, instead of a threaded rod, the rod has circumferential ridges along the longitudinal axis of the rod, the ridges defining circumferential recesses therebetween. This provides alternating portions of a smaller diameter and a larger diameter along the rod. Furthermore, between each recess and ridge is a sloped portion which provides a ramp up (i.e. increasing diameter) from the recess to the ridge or a ramp down (i.e. decreasing diameter) from the ridge to the recess. As such, the rod may be known as a faceted rod or a faceted bar.

[0042] To connect the rod to a surface or another object, a bolt is provided which can provide an adjustable coupling. The bolt is a hollow bolt in that it comprises a cylindrical channel to receive the rod so that the bolt can slide up and down along the longitudinal axis of the rod. The bolt also has a latch which cooperates with the recesses on the surface of the rod. The latch has a circumferential surface facing radially inwards to cooperate with the circumferential surface of the recess. The latch also has sloped portions to cooperate with the sloped portions of the rod.

[0043] The latch is movable between a first position and a second position. For example, the end of the bolt may be split via one or more longitudinal slots, which may provide flexible portions at the end of the bolt such that the latch can move between the first position and the second position. In the first position, when the bolt is on the rod the latch cooperates with the recess, meaning that the latch interfaces with the circumferential surface defining the recess. If the bolt is slid along the longitudinal axis, one of the sloped portions of the latch slides along the corresponding sloped portion of the recess, which causes the latch to flex radially outwards in view of the gradually increasing diameter until the latch interfaces with the ridge, thereby providing the second position of the latch in which it has escaped from the recess. It will be appreciated that, by restricting the ability of the latch to flex radially outwards, the latch is retained in the first position such that the latch cannot escape from the recess, meaning that the bolt cannot slide along the longitudinal axis past the sloped portion of the recess. Retaining the latch in its first position may be achieved using a variety of methods, such as a threaded nut received on a threaded exterior surface of the bolt, or by a clip or cover arranged to surround the bolt.

[0044] Figure 1 shows a support apparatus according to embodiments of the disclosure. In particular, Figure 1 shows how a bolt 28 can be slid on to and secured to a rod 17. The rod 17 has a longitudinal axis and the bolt 28 has a channel 65 to receive the rod along the longitudinal axis thereof. The rod 17 has a longitudinal section comprising a first ridge 15, a second ridge (adjacent to the first ridge 15), and a recess 25 defined between the first ridge 15 and the second ridge along the longitudinal axis. In the example shown, the first ridge 15 and the second ridge each comprise a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and have a first diameter. The recess 25 also comprises a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis. The recess 25 has a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. Between each ridge and recess is a sloped portion, such as the sloped portions 61 , 62, between the cylindrical surface of the recess and the cylindrical surface of the ridge.

[0045] The bolt comprises a latch 9 having a first position (see bottom middle of Figure 1 ) in which the latch 9 interfaces with a recess and a second position (see bottom left of Figure 1) in which the latch 9 is flexed radially outwards to escape from the recess.

[0046] The sloped portions 61 , 62 may provide a ramp for the latch 9 to facilitate sliding of the bolt 28 along the longitudinal axis from the recess to the first ridge or the second ridge. In the arrangement shown, the sloped portions 61 , 62 are linear, in other words, they have a flat cross section in a direction between the ridge and a recess. It will be appreciated that, in three dimensions, the sloped portion has a frustoconical surface. In view of this, the recess may provide a trapezium-shaped recess around a circumference of the rod. It can be seen from Figure 1 that the external angles of the rod are all at least 135 degrees, thereby avoiding sharp comers that are more difficult to clean.

[0047] As shown at the bottom middle of Figure 1 , the latch 9 comprises a latch member 16 which has a shape corresponding to the trapezium-shaped recess 25 so that the latch 9 can cooperate with the recess. In particular, the latch member 16 comprises a circumferential surface configured to interface with the cylindrical surface of the recess 25. Each recess has two sloped portions. For example, the recess 25 has a sloped portion 62 between the cylindrical surface of the recess 25 and the cylindrical surface of the ridge 15. The sloped portions 61 , 62 are configured to interface with corresponding sloped portions 6T, 62’ on the latch member 16.

[0048] The latch 9 may be provided by forming longitudinal slots 8 in the bolt 28, so as to provide flexible latch members 9 that can flex radially outwards so as to accommodate the increased diameter when moving over each ridge 15. In the arrangement shown, the bolt 28 comprises a plurality of latches 9 arranged circumferentially with respect to the channel 65. The longitudinal slots 8 may terminate in a circular hole 64, as shown in the top left of Figure 1. Having the circular hole 64 at the end of the longitudinal slots 8 may reduce stress concentration at the end of the longitudinal slots 8 which may otherwise arise from sharp comers at the end of each longitudinal slot 8. The latch 9 is biased to the first position in which the latch member 16 is received in the recess. The sloped portions 61 , 62 have an angle between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis. In the arrangement shown, the angle is 45 degrees.

[0049] The bolt 28 comprises an exterior surface configured to receive a locking mechanism to retain a latch 9 in its first position. As such, the locking mechanism can be arranged to restrict radially outward movement of the latch 9, to prevent the latch moving from the first position to the second position, and to thereby retain the latch in the recess and prevent movement along the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal section of the rod. The exterior surface of the bolt in the example shown is threaded. As such, the exterior surface may be configured to receive a nut 60a such that the nut may be the locking mechanism. For example, the locking mechanism may be a threaded bore within a surface. This may provide one way of attaching a rod 17 to another component (e.g. a surface) by connecting the rod to a component via the bolt 28 and then coupling the bolt 28 to the surface, without needing to rotate the rod 17 itself.

[0050] In the arrangement shown, the first ridge, second ridge and recess are comprised in an alternating array or ridges and recesses and each recess is joined to an adjacent ridge by a sloped portion 61 , 62. The alternating array may comprise at least three ridges, for example four ridges, optionally five ridges, optionally six ridges. In some examples, the alternating array may extend along the entire length of the rod 17.

[0051] In operation, the bolt 28 is slid on to an axial end of the rod 17 such that the sloped portion (e.g. sloped portion 6T) of the latch member 16 interfaces with the sloped portion (e.g. sloped portion 61) of a recess. In view of the flexibility of the latch or latches 9, the bolt 28 can be slid further along the longitudinal axis by the latch member 16 sliding up the sloped portion of the recess, sliding along the circumferential surface of the ridge, and sliding back down the sloped portion of the subsequent recess. Once the bolt 28 is in the desired position, it can be locked by a locking mechanism such as a nut threaded onto the exterior surface of the bolt 28 so as to restrict the latch 9 from flexing radially outwards, thereby preventing the bolt 28 from moving along the longitudinal axis of the rod 17.

[0052] Figure 2 shows a support apparatus according to embodiments of the disclosure. In particular, the rod in Figure 2 is a U-shaped rod such that its ends face the same direction such that they can be coupled to the same planar surface. In more detail, the rod comprises a longitudinal section (e.g. on the left-hand side of the U-shaped rod) having a first ridge 15, a second ridge 29 and a recess 25 defined between the first ridge 15 and the second ridge 29 along the longitudinal axis. As shown in Figure 2, the first ridge 15 and the second ridge 29 each comprise a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and having a first diameter, while the recess also comprises a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. The recess 25 also has sloped portions between its cylindrical surface and each of the first ridge 15 and the second ridge 29. A similar longitudinal section is provided on the other side (e.g. the right-hand side) of the U-shaped rod, and it will be appreciated that the second ridge 29 of the left-hand side longitudinal section may be the same as the second ridge 29 of the righthand longitudinal section.

[0053] The support apparatus comprises a bolt 28 having a cylindrical channel to receive the longitudinal section. In the arrangement shown, there are two bolts 28 each configured to couple to each of the two longitudinal sections at the end of each rod. As described in relation to Figure 1 , each bolt comprises a latch having a latch member 16 which can flex radially outwards to facilitate the bolt 28 being slid on to the end of the U-shaped rod, in order to arrive at the arrangement shown on the right-hand side of Figure 2.

[0054] In operation, once a bolt 28 has been slid on to each end of the U-shaped rod, a pipe or cable bundle may be secured between the U-shaped rod and a mounting surface (such as a cable tray), by rotating the bolts 28 relative to the mounting surface. As well as tightening the pipe or cable array against the mounting surface, this also restricts the latch member 16 from flexing radially outwards to thereby prevent the bolt 28 from sliding upwards along the U-shaped rod.

[0055] Figure 3 shows side views and side sectional views of various types of bolts that may be fitted with various types of rods. Starting from the left-hand side of Figure 3, there is shown a rod 17 comprising a faceted section 1 at each of the axial ends of the rod 17 and in a centre portion of the rod 17. Adjacent faceted sections may be connected by a constant diameter section 2, as shown in Figure 3. Also shown is a bolt 3 having longitudinal slots 8 on both axial ends thereof to provide at least one latch 9 on each axial end. Figure 3 also shows a bolt 4 which has longitudinal slots 8 on only one axial end of the bolt 4, such that at least one latch 9 is provided only on one axial end of the bolt 4. Another bolt 5 is shown which does not comprise threads around its exterior surface. Yet another bolt 6 is shown which comprises a threaded exterior surface and a latch 9 provided by longitudinal slots 8, and which has a bolt head on the opposite end of the longitudinal slots. In the aforementioned bolts 3, 4, 5, 6, the length of the bolt is longer than the width (e.g. the diameter) of the bolt. In some examples, such as in the bolt 18, 19, the length of the bolt may be several times longer than the width of the bolt. For example, the length may be three or four times longer than the width of the bolt. Some examples of bolts 18, 19 may comprise a hexagonal head, while other bolts 27 may comprise a circular, unthreaded head.

[0056] A connector 16b is also shown which may comprise a threaded bore 14 and two mounting holes 15 on either side of the threaded bore 14 to thereby allow various components to be connected to one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the rod. Also illustrated is a cover 23, which may comprise a bore 22 and a channel 21 , which may be used to cover a bolt and to prevent radially outward flexing of the latch member. On the right-hand half of Figure 3, various assemblies of bolts and rods are shown demonstrating the modularity of the support apparatus. In each case, a bolt (such as bolt 3 or bolt 6) can be slid onto an end of a rod 17 and, by virtue of the flexibility of the latches 9, the bolts can click over the faceted sections 1 to be moved to the desired position along the rod 17. The bolt 3 which has latches 9 on both axial ends can be used to connect the faceted sections of two rods in series.

[0057] Also shown in Figure 3 are components for an alternative to a turnbuckle which will be described in more detail in relation to Figure 6. In particular, such components may include a rod having a faceted section 1 at a first axial end and an eye 11 at the opposite axial end, and may also include a rod having a faceted section 1 at a first axial end and a hook 12 at the opposite axial end, and may further include a sleeve 13 comprising a channel 25a which has a threaded internal surface, and which may include reduced diameter portions 24 on each axial end thereof.

[0058] Figure 4 illustrates how a trapeze strut can be formed using the support apparatus according to embodiments of the disclosure. In particular, the trapeze strut comprises a first support apparatus (left-hand side) and a second support apparatus (right-hand side) connected together by a cross member, such as a tray 72. In particular, the first apparatus and the second apparatus are arranged parallel to one another in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axes of the rods, wherein the rod of the first apparatus is connected to the rod of the second apparatus by the tray 72, such that the position of the tray 72 relative to the rods can be adjusted along the longitudinal axes and secured by locking the latches in their first position.

[0059] In the arrangement shown, each support apparatus comprises a faceted rod 16a and a bolt coupled thereto, and also a mounting ring 70 which comprises a main body 69 and a threaded bore 66 for receiving a bolt 67. As shown in the middle of Figure 4, the bolts can be slid up the faceted rods 16 to the desired position and can be joined together using the tray 72 via the mounting rings 70, and the position of the bolts can be fixed by providing covers 63 on the opposite axial end of the faceted rods 16 to cover the bolts and thereby prevent the latch from moving to the second position, thereby preventing further axial movement of the bolts relative to the faceted rods 16. As shown on the right-hand side of Figure 4, it will be appreciated that multiple trays 72 may be suspended from a surface in this way.

[0060] Figure 5 shows side views and sectional side views of various arrangements of the support apparatus, particularly employed as a tie bar. Each version of the support apparatus has a rod with a first ridge 15, a recess 25, and a second ridge 20 which may be provided by a constant diameter section. The support apparatus also comprises a bolt 28 with a latch member 16 for cooperating with the faceted sections of the rod. Some arrangements further include a cover 26 which may be arranged to cover a bolt 27.

[0061] Figure 6 demonstrates the functionality of the support apparatus being used as a turnbuckle. In the arrangement shown, a bolt 7 is connected to the faceted section of a rod, such as a rod having an eye 11 or a hook 12, and the bolts 7 are inserted into either end of the sleeve 13 such that the bolts 7 can threadingly engage the threaded interior surface of the sleeve 13 and can be inserted to the extent desired. The bottom half of Figure 6 illustrates a similar arrangement except that the bolt 18 is longer to thereby facilitate a greater degree of insertion of the rods into the sleeve 13.

[0062] The operation of the apparatus shown in Figure 6 is the same as that of a typical turnbuckle, in that a cable, for example, can be connected to the eye 11 and another cable can be connected to the hook 12, and the tension between such cables can be adjusted by rotating the bolt 7, 18 relative to the sleeve 13, except that rotation of the rods themselves is not required. Figure 7 illustrates similar components to Figure 3 but additionally shows several connectors 52, 53 which each comprise a T-bar 41 having threaded bores 14 on either side of the T -bar 41 to thereby facilitate the connection of two components in parallel. Also illustrated is a nut 29a, 30 configured to cooperate with the stem of one of the connectors. Also illustrated in Figure 7 are various versions of U-shaped rods. On the left-hand side of Figure 7, the U-shaped rods 26a, 27a, 28a comprise bolts 6 on each end thereof, and on the right-hand side of Figure 7 the U-shaped rods 26a, 27a, 28a are illustrated without the bolts 6 such that the faceted sections 1 are visible.

[0063] Figure 8 shows support apparatus which can be used for hanging items from a surface such as a ceiling. In particular, the support apparatus comprises a faceted rod 16a configured to receive a bolt 7 having a plurality of latch members 16. Also illustrated is a retainer 31 which may be provided in a form of a circlip. The retainer may be arranged to surround the rod 16a and prevent axial movement of the bolt 7 along the rod 16a.

[0064] Figure 9 shows side views and side sectional views of various types of bolts that may be fitted with various types of rods. Starting from the left-hand side of Figure 3, there is shown a rod 57 comprising a faceted section 51 at each of the axial ends of the rod 57 and in a centre portion of the rod 57. Adjacent faceted sections may be connected by a constant diameter section 58, as shown in Figure 9. Also shown is a side sectional view beside a side view of a bolt 60 having longitudinal slots on both axial ends thereof to provide at least one latch on each axial end. Figure 3 also shows a bolt 61a which has longitudinal slots on only one axial end of the bolt 61a, such that at least one latch is provided only on one axial end of the bolt 61a. Another bolt 62a is shown which does not comprise threads around its exterior surface. Yet another bolt 59 is shown which comprises a threaded exterior and a latch provided by longitudinal slots, and which has a bolt head on the opposite end to the longitudinal slots. Some examples of bolts 59 may comprise a hexagonal head.

[0065] A connector 50 is also shown which may comprise a threaded bore 48 and two mounting holes 54 on either side of the threaded bore 48 to thereby allow various components to be connected to one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the rod. On the right-hand half of Figure 9, assemblies of bolts and rods are shown demonstrating the modularity of the support apparatus. In each case, a bolt (such as bolt 59 or bolt 60) can be slid on to an end of a rod 57 and, by virtue of the flexibility of the latches, the bolts can click over the faceted section 51 to be moved to the desired position along the rod 57. The bolt 60 which has latches on both axial ends can be used to connect the faceted sections of two rods in series.

[0066] Figure 10 shows the support apparatus being used to hang a pipe from a surface, such as via a universal beam 64a. In particular, the support apparatus comprises a pipe clip 59a configured to surround a pipe. The pipe clip 59a comprises an attachment feature configured to receive the first bolt 28 at the first axial end (i.e. the bottom end as shown in Figure 10) to thereby retain the latch of the first bolt 28 in its first position and thereby restrict movement of the pipe clip 59a relative to the rod 58.

[0067] The support apparatus comprises a clamp configured to clamp to the universal beam 64a, wherein the clamp comprises an attachment means configured to receive a second bolt at the second axial end of the rod 58 (the upper end as shown in Figure 10) to thereby retain the latch of the second bolt in its first position to prevent relative movement between the clamp and the rod 58. It will be appreciated that the functionality of the support apparatus is the same as described above, in that a latch member 16 can interact with a faceted section 51 of the rod 58.

[0068] It will be appreciated from the above description that many features of the different examples are interchangeable and combinable. The disclosure extends to further examples comprising features from different examples combined together in ways not specifically mentioned. Indeed, there are many features presented in the above examples and it will be apparent to the skilled person that these may be advantageously combined with one another.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Support apparatus comprising: a rod comprising at least one longitudinal section along a longitudinal axis, the at least one longitudinal section comprising: a first ridge, a second ridge, and a recess defined between the first ridge and the second ridge along the longitudinal axis, wherein the first ridge and the second ridge each comprise a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and having a first diameter, wherein the recess comprises a cylindrical surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, and wherein the recess further comprises sloped portions between its cylindrical surface and each of the first ridge and second ridge; and at least one bolt comprising: a cylindrical channel to receive the at least one longitudinal section of the rod; and a latch having a first position in which it interfaces with the recess and a second position in which the latch is flexed radially outwards to escape from the recess.

2. The support apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one bolt comprises an exterior surface configured to receive a locking mechanism to retain the latch in its first position.

3. The support apparatus of claim 2, wherein the exterior surface is threaded.

4. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the latch is biased to the first position.

5. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the sloped portions havean angle between 40 and 50 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis.

6. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the recess surrounds the entire circumference of the rod.

7. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the latch comprises a circumferential surface configured to interface with the cylindrical surface of the recess.

8. The support apparatus of claim 7, wherein the circumferential surface is arranged between two sloped portions configured to interface with the sloped portions of the recess.

9. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the latch is a first latch of a plurality of latches and each latch of the plurality of latches is configured to interface with the recess.

10. The support apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of latches are circumferentially separated by longitudinal slots at a first axial end of the bolt.

11. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the first ridge, the second ridge and the recess are comprised in an alternating array of ridges and recesses, wherein each recess is joined to an adjacent ridge by a sloped portion.

12. The support apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the alternating array comprises three ridges.

13. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one longitudinal section comprises a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section, and wherein the at least one bolt comprises a first bolt and a second bolt, wherein the first bolt is coupled to the first longitudinal section at a first end of the rod and the second bolt is coupled to the second longitudinal section at a second end of the rod.

14. The support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the support apparatus comprises a pipe clip configured to surround a pipe, the pipe clip comprising an attachment featureconfigured to receive the first bolt at the first axial end of the rod to thereby retain the latch of the first bolt in its first position and prevent movement of the pipe clip relative to the rod.

15. The support apparatus of claim 14, wherein the support apparatus comprises a clamp configured to clamp to a universal beam, wherein the clamp comprises an attachment means configured to receive the second bolt at the second axial end of the rod to thereby retain the latch of the second bolt in its first position and prevent relative movement between the clamp and the rod.

16. The support apparatus of claim 13, wherein the rod is a U-shaped rod such that the first bolt and the second bolt are configured to couple to the same planar surface.

17. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the bolt has a length defined parallel to the longitudinal axis and a width defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the length is longer than the width.

18. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the latch is comprised on a first axial end of the bolt and wherein the bolt further comprises at least one latch on a second axial end opposite the first axial end.

19. The support apparatus of any preceding claim, further comprising a sleeve having an internally threaded surface configured to couple with the bolt, wherein insertion of the bolt and the rod into the sleeve prevents the latch from moving to its second position, thereby locking the rod in the sleeve.

20. The support apparatus of claim 19, wherein the rod is a first rod and the bolt is a first bolt configured to be received in a first axial end of the sleeve, and wherein the support apparatus further comprises a second rod and a second bolt configured to be received in a second axial end of the sleeve.

21. The support apparatus of claim 20, wherein an end of each rod opposite to the end coupled to the bolt comprises a hook or an eye.

22. A trapeze strut comprising: a first support apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 12; and a second support apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 12.

23. The trapeze strut of claim 22, wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus are arranged parallel to one another in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axes of the rods, wherein the rod of the first apparatus is connected to the rod of the second apparatus by a cross member, such that the position of the cross member relative to the rods can be adjusted along the longitudinal axes and secured by locking the latches in their first position.

Images