Insulator for mounting pipe in metal wall stud

• US 5,702,076 A
• Filed: 04/08/1996
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPS Corporation (Milliken & Company)
• Original Assignee: IPS Corporation (Milliken & Company)
• Inventors: Humber, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Application Number:
  US08/629,063
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 248/57, 248/56, 248/62, 248/71, 248/74.2, 248/604, 248/73, 248/27.3
• US Class Current: 248/57
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 5/00 Devices for use where pipes, cables or protective tubing pass through walls or partitions passing insulated pipes through walls F16L59/121; arrangements for leading electric cables or lines through walls, floors or ceilings H02G3/22

Abstract

An insulator is designed to mount 3/8, 1/2 or 3/4 inch pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud. The pipe insulator includes a generally cylindrical body that fits within a circular hole pre-punched in the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud. The body has a circular, radially extending mounting flange which is held against the periphery of the hole in the sheet metal stud by a plurality of axially extending, circumferencially spaced mounting fingers formed in the cylindrical body. These mounting fingers momentarily deflect out of the way and then snap back into position when the cylindrical body is forced into the hole in the sheet metal stud. The pipe insulator further includes axially spaced sets of pie-shaped pipe gripping segments which extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and bend a sufficient amount to permit passage of the pipe through the center of the cylindrical body while holding the pipe rigidly in position. The pie-shaped gripping elements are resilient and flexible and accommodate the three different sizes of pipe.

Claims

1. An insulator for mounting pipe in a hole through a sheet metal stud, the insulator comprising:

a generally cylindrical body sized to fit within a variably sized hole pre-punched in an intermediate planar portion of a sheet metal wall stud, wherein the cylindrical body is split with an axial slot, the slot having a flange end and a distal end, wherein the flange end of the axial slot is bridged by one of the pipe gripping segments, thereby preventing the cylindrical body from being opened;

a mounting flange extending radially from the cylindrical body for overlying a periphery of the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud surrounding the hole;

a plurality of mounting fingers extending from the cylindrical body and spaced from the mounting flange for holding the flange against the periphery of the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud surrounding the hole, the mounting fingers having different spacings from the mounting flange to accommodate different thicknesses of the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud and radially protruding a sufficient distance from the cylindrical body to accommodate the variably sized hole pre-punched in the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud; and

a plurality of pipe gripping segments which extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical body toward a center line of the body and are bendable a sufficient amount to permit passage of a pipe having a predetermined diameter through the center of the cylindrical body while holding the pipe rigidly in position.

2. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the pipe gripping elements are made of a resilient and flexible material to accommodate different sizes of pipe.

3. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the mounting fingers are made of a resilient and flexible material.

4. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the insulator is molded as a single unitary article made of a plastic material.

5. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein there are two axially spaced sets of pipe gripping elements.

6. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the pipe gripping segments are pie-shaped.

7. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the mounting fingers extend axially and angularly outwardly in a radial direction.

8. The insulator according to claim 1 wherein the pipe gripping segments are pie-shaped and have distal ends defining a pipe receiving passage.

9. An insulator for mounting pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud, the insulator being injection molded as a single unitary article out of a suitable plastic, comprising:

a cylindrical body sized to fit within a hole pre-punched in the intermediate planar portion of a sheet metal wail stud, said hole measuring approximately 1 and 11/32 of an inch;

a circular mounting flange extending radially outwardly from a rear end of the cylindrical body for overlying a periphery of the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud surrounding the hole;

a plurality of generally planar flexible resilient mounting fingers extending axially and angularly outwardly from the cylindrical body moving toward the circular mounting flange and spaced from the mounting flange for holding the flange against the periphery of the intermediate planar portion of the sheet metal wall stud surrounding the hole; and

two axially spaced sets of flexible and resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments which extend radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and have distal ends defining a central pipe receiving passage, the pipe gripping elements capable of bending a sufficient amount to permit passage of the pipe through the center of the cylindrical body while holding the pipe rigidly in position, the pipe gripping segments of each set being rotationally offset from each other.

10. An insulator for mounting a pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud, comprising;

a generally cylindrical body;

a mounting flange extending radially from the cylindrical body;

a plurality of mounting fingers extending from the cylindrical body and having multiple different spacings from the mounting flange;

a first set of coplanar resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and having distal ends defining a substantially circular first passage; and

a second set of resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments spaced from the first set along the cylindrical body and extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body, the pipe gripping segments of the first and second sets being rotationally offset from each other.

11. An insulator for mounting pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud, comprising:

a generally cylindrical body;

a mounting flange extending radially from the cylindrical body;

a plurality of mounting fingers extending from the cylindrical body and having multiple different spacings from the mounting flange;

a first set of resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and having distal ends defining a substantially circular first passage; and

a second set of resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments spaced from the first set along the cylindrical body, extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body, wherein the pipe gripping segments of the first and second sets are rotationally offset from each other.

12. An insulator for mounting pipe in a hole through a sheet metal wall stud, comprising:

a generally cylindrical body;

a mounting flange extending radially from the cylindrical body;

a plurality of mounting fingers extending from the cylindrical body and having multiple different spacings from the mounting flange;

a first set of resilient substantially coplanar pie-shaped pipe gripping segments extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body and having distal ends defining a substantially circular first passage; and

a second set of resilient pie-shaped pipe gripping segments spaced from the first set along the cylindrical body, extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical body, wherein the pipe gripping segments of the first and second sets are rotationally offset from each other.