AU765818B2

AU765818B2 - Connector for fixing a fixture to a support, device incorporating this and fixing method

Info

Publication number: AU765818B2
Application number: AU44477/02A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Roland Almeras
Original assignee: Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT SAS
Current assignee: Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT SAS
Priority date: 2001-06-14
Filing date: 2002-05-30
Publication date: 2003-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-30
Also published as: CA2388989A1; EP1267087A1; ATE307983T1; FR2826071A1; EP1267087B1; PL354473A1; DE60206839D1; DE60206839T2; NZ519396A; FR2826071B1; CA2388989C; PL198029B1; ES2249545T3; AU4447702A

Abstract

The base (1), having two inclined guide surfaces (4, 6) for the branches of a staple (30) or a central hole for a nail, incorporates a deformable element (18) which acts as a shock absorber when the staple or nail reaches the end of its travel. The deformable element has a cylindrical outer surface, and there is a recess round it in the base to receive the head of a nail or the top (32) of a staple.

Description

i

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): Societe de Prospection et D'Inventions Techniques SPIT ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: Connector for fixing a fixture to a support, device incorporating this and fixing method The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- P:\OPER\AMI\j2538782 204,doc-23/07/03 1A- CONNECTOR FOR FIXING A FIXTURE TO A SUPPORT, DEVICE INCORPORATING THIS AND FIXING METHOD The present invention relates to the fixing of fixtures to a support by means of staples or nails. In particular, the subject of the invention is intended for fixing to a lightweight support offering little mechanical strength, such as plasterboard between two sheets of heavy paper, but also fixing to a compact, very hard support such as concrete.

It has been previously proposed to attach fixtures, for example a conduit carrying electric wires, to a plaster support. For this purpose a connector is used to grip the fixture and enable it to be fixed against the support. The connector is fixed to the support with a staple. An automatic tool can be used for this purpose to propel the staple into the support by means of a piston driven by a compressed gas.

A staple suitable for this use is disclosed in US Patent No. 6,386,811 belonging to the Applicant company. The staple comprises a transverse joining head and two flexible legs extending generally perpendicularly to the head. It is a feature of the legs of the staple that they are bent in such a way as to define together an X-like configuration with a converging part and diverging free ends. This shape increases the angle of divergence at the moment when the staple is driven in. This provides better anchorage of the staple.

It has also been previously proposed to provide a clip for fastening cables or pipes to plasterboard. It forms a connector with two ramps for guiding the legs of a staple and is disclosed in patent application WO 8503560. The two ramps are divergent.

It is observed however that the connector is sometimes made fragile by the shock it receives at the moment when the staple is punched by the automatic driving tool. A means of avoiding this weakening of the connector is desirable.

P:\OPER\Al\j2538782 204.doc-23/07103 -2- Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a staple and a means of absorbing the excess energy when the staple is driven through the connector.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to improve the anchoring of the connector to its support when using a staple, and in particular the staple as disclosed in US Patent No. 6,386,811.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for fixing a fixture to a support, comprising two ramps for guiding the legs of a staple, wherein the connector comprises an element capable of deforming in such a way as to act as an end-of-travel shock absorber for the staple, the element being positioned between the two ramps.

The connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment comprises, at entrance portions to the two diverging ramps, an element capable of deforming under the pressure •exerted by the staple when the staple is punched by an automatic driving tool, acting as i an end-of-travel shock absorber for the staple.

The guide ramps diverge in the direction of movement of the staple.

In particular, the element has a cylindrical shape and is placed between the two staple guide ramps. This element, which projects from the plane of the connector, is made of a material capable of deforming when the staple reaches the end of its travel. The deformation of this part absorbs the excess kinetic energy and thus reduces the risk of o 25 splitting the connector.

•.In accordance with another feature, the element forms a guide channel for a nail between the two divergent ramps.

Thus, preferred embodiments of the present invention can be used for fixing selectively with either a nail or a staple.

P:'OPER\. 4\j2538782 204 doc-23/07103 -3- It has also been previously proposed to attach fixtures to concrete. For this purpose it is usual to use a connector with an associated plug or nail because a staple would deform without penetrating the concrete.

A connector for use in fastening a fixture to a concrete-type support is disclosed in patent application FR 9 914 131 filed in the name of the Applicant company. This connector comprises in particular a passage for a fixing plug forming a guiding and shockabsorbing chimney.

On building sites, when fixing an electrical conduit, supports made of plaster or other equivalent material are sometimes encountered, but very hard supports of concrete type are also encountered. This obliges the worker to have about him different types of fixing devices for his conduit. The fixing device in accordance with the invention can be adapted to either type of support, as and when encountered, with the minimum of adjustments.

oo i It also means that very few different parts are required on the site, giving an obvious advantage in terms of efficiency and cost.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention also give the user the advantage of having a single connector for all types of support, thus facilitating the manufacture of the fixing devices and making them more economical to produce. They also simplify the work of the worker on the site, which is always desirable.

25 In one preferred embodiment, the connector forms a well for receiving at least partly the head of the nail or the joining head of the staple. In particular, the element projects from bottom ofthe well.

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Preferably, the connector comprises a means for guiding the end of a nail guide or staple guide. In particular, this means for guiding takes the form of a skirt. The skirt holds the nail guide or staple guide in place via its outside surface.

P:,OPER\ArI 2538782 204do-23/07/03 -4- In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for fixing a fixture to a support, comprising a connector as described above, wherein the device also includes a staple having bent legs, the free ends of the legs being engaged in entrance portions of the said two guide ramps.

In a preferred embodiment, the device includes a nail engaged in the nail guide channel.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of fixing a fixture to a support by means of a fixing device as described above, including the step of using an automatic driving device equipped with a guide for a nail or a staple, wherein said guide is for use selectively with either a nail or a staple, and wherein the guide comprises a central channel for guiding a nail and two internal grooves alongside the channel for receiving and guiding a staple.

The worker thus has simply to load his tool with the nail or staple without having to change the guide.

Preferred embodiments of the invention seek to provide the advantage of greatly reducing the adjustments required to be made by the worker on site.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: S Figure 1 shows, in the section taken on I-I in Figure 2, a connector according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a top view of the connector of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a device comprising the connector and a staple in place before use; o• Figure 4 shows the device anchored to a support; and Figure 5 shows diagrammatically and in section a guide for use selectively with either a nail or a staple.

P 'OPER\AI\j2538782 204.doc-23/07/03 The connector 1, shown in Figures 1 and 2, is made of a plastic such as polypropylene. It comprises a platform 2 of a shape suitable for its intended purpose. In the example illustrated, it is roughly rectangular with two sides in the form of arcs of a circle. The platform 2 is thicker in the middle where it contains two through channels or ramps 4 and 6, the directions of which are divergent when viewed from above. The connector 1 illustrated can be used selectively with either a central nail or a staple. It will be observed that there is also a central channel 8 running through and at right angles to the plane of the platform. A well 10 of circular shape is centered about the channel 8. It forms an intersection with each of the ramps 4 and 6 and its bottom 11 is roughly in the plane of the outer portion of platform 2. Wall 12 is made higher by an annular skirt 14 creating a space descending to a shelf 16 which is perpendicular to the axis of the channel 8. The ramps 4 and 6 lead downward from the shelf 16.

The channel 8 is extended by an element 18 which projects from the bottom 11 of the well 10. In the embodiment depicted, the element 18 is chimney-shaped. The top 181 of o the element 18 is slightly below the free edge 141 of the skirt 14. However, it rises ~above the plane of the shelf 16. Accordingly, the plane of the top 181 of the element 18 is between the plane of the shelf 16 and the plane of free edge 141 of the skirt 14. The element 18 is cylindrical and its wall is relatively thin. Its outside diameter d is less than the distance between the axes of the two ramps, both at the plane of the shelf 16 and at the plane of the bottom 11 of the well On the underside, where the staple or nail protrudes once it has been driven through the connector, the connector 1 comprises a centring and holding element in the form of a oo 25 boss 22 projecting from the plane of under-surface 21 which actually sits on the fixture.

This boss 22 must sit in an opening prepared in the fixture that is to be fixed to a support.

~It serves both to centre the connector 1 relative to the fixture before it is fixed in position and to grip the fixture and to hold it in place when the connector is fixed in position.

P:\OPER\AIj253872 204.doc-2310703 -6- Figure 3 shows the connector 1 equipped with a staple 30. This staple 30 is disclosed in US Patent No. 6,386,811 in the name of the Applicant company. It has a transverse joining head 32 and two legs 34 and 36 extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the head 32. The two legs34, 36 form an X-like configuration: each leg comprises two parts, 341, 342 and 361, 362, respectively. The parts 341 and 361 converge. The parts 342 and 362 diverge. There is a narrow part between the two legs. When the staple 30 is in position, as shown in Figure 3, the shortest distance between the two legs 34, 36 is less than the outside diameter at the entrance to the chimney-shaped element 18. The ends of parts 342 and 362 of the legs 34, 36 are partially engaged in the ramps 4 and 6.

The staple 30 is under tension and is subjected to internal stresses tending to drive the two legs 34, 36 apart. As a result, the pre-engaged ends press on the parts of the walls of the ramps 4 and 6 which are furthest from the axis of the connector 1. Consequently, at the top 181 of element 18, the legs 34, 36 do not initially touch the element 18, as seen in Figure 3.

The invention also includes within its scope a connector in which a nail (not shown) has been inserted in the nail guide channel 8 of the connector. In such an embodiment, prior to fixation, the nail is partially engaged in the channel 8.

0000 Figure 4 shows the staple driven into the support It holds the connector against the fixture which is fixed against the support As will be observed, the boss 22 is engaged in an opening in the fixture so gripping it. The head 32 of the staple compresses the element 18, which has fulfilled its role as an end-of-travel shock absorber, by deforming.

Figure 5 shows diagrammatically the end of a nail/staple guide 40. This guide 40 is mounted on an automatic tool which is not shown. The automatic tool may be of a type which is known per se. The guide 40 comprises a central bore 42 in which the desired nail can be inserted. Alongside this bore 42, two straight grooves have been cut, these two grooves 44 and 45 acting as a seating for a staple. Accordingly, the guide 40 can be used selectively with either a nail or a staple.

P.\OPER\AIj2538782 204.do-23/07/03 -7- The method of fixing a fixture to a support consists in selecting a pre-assembled fixing device a connector with a staple or a connector with a nail depending on the type of support Assuming the support to be plaster, the device shown in Figure 3 will be chosen. The staple 30 is inserted into the grooves 44-45 of the guide 40 until the guide 40 engages in the skirt and then stops against the plane of the shelf 16 of the connector 1. The connector 1 is positioned with the boss 22 in the orifice of the fixture and all these various parts are held firmly against the support When the staple is propelled against the support by a piston of the tool, its legs 34, 36 spread out, guided in their movement by the two ramps 4, 6. The height of the element 18 is sufficient so that as the staple 30 advances, its legs 34, 36 contact the outside edge of the element 18. As the width of the element 18 is greater than the free space between the legs 34, 36, the element 18 will accentuate the bending force exerted on the legs 34, 36.

The legs 34, 36 will spread out even further, thus ensuring an improved anchorage of the connector 1 to the support i ooo At the end of the stroke the head 32 presses against the element 18 which will bend and deform if the energy of the staple 30 is great enough. As it deforms, the element 18 absorbs the energy and decelerates the staple 30. As can be seen in Figure 4, the element 18 has deformed and absorbed the shock produced by the impact of the staple oo If the worker decides that a nailed device is preferable, he simple drives a nail along the channel 8 of the element 18 and into the support The head of the nail will strike the element 18 which, as it deforms, will absorb the energy in the same way.

°to°

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.a P.\OPER\Arl\j2538782 204 doc-23/07/03 -8- The invention also includes the embodiment in which the base can only be used with a staple. In this case, the channel for the nail can be omitted, and the element 18 is no longer hollow. It can be at least partly solid. This embodiment is not illustrated.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

e oo** ••t

Claims

1. A connector for fixing a fixture to a support, comprising two ramps for guiding the legs of a staple, wherein the connector comprises an element capable of deforming in such a way as to act as an end-of-travel shock absorber for said staple, said element being positioned between the two ramps.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a nail guide channel leading into said element.

3. A connector according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein the element has a cylindrical external shape.

4. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector forms a well for receiving at least partly the head of the nail or the joining head of the staple.

A connector according to claim 4 wherein the element projects from the bottom of the well.

6. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector comprises a means for guiding the end of a nail guide or staple guide.

7. A connector according to claim 6, wherein said means for guiding includes a .25 skirt.

8. A connector according to claim 7, wherein the element projects into the skirt.

9. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector comprises a centring and holding element for centring and holding the connector with respect to an opening prepared in the fixture that is to be fixed.

P:;OPER\Arlj2538782 204.doc23/07/03 A connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, shaped for use with a staple having bent legs, wherein the outside diameter at the end of the element is greater than the shortest distance between the legs of the staple so as to force the legs of the staple apart as the latter moves towards the support.

11. A device for fixing a fixture to a support, comprising a connector in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the device also includes a staple having bent legs, the free ends of the legs being engaged in entrance portions of said two guide ramps.

12. A device for fixing a fixture to a support, comprising a connector in accordance with any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein said device also includes a nail engaged in said channel.

13. A method of fixing a fixture to a support by means of a fixing device according to either claim 11 or claim 12, including the step of using an automatic driving device equipped with a guide for a nail or a staple, wherein said guide is for use selectively with either a nail or a staple, and the guide comprises a central channel for guiding a nail and two internal grooves alongside the channel for receiving and guiding a staple.

14. A connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A fixing device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. a 25 16. A method of fixing a fixture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 2 3 r d day of July, 2003 Societe de Prospection et D'Inventions Techniques SPIT By DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant