GB2455552A - Clip for suspending an item from a member - Google Patents

Abstract

A clip for suspending an item comprises an upper portion 20 having an engagement portion for engagement with a structural member 13 and a lower portion 40 for engagement by an element to be supported. The upper 20 and lower 40 portions are connected rotatably such that the lower portion hangs vertically below the connection to the upper portion when the clip is in use. The upper portion 20 is preferably planar and comprises a pair of hooks 28 for attachment to the lower portion 40.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CLIPS

The invention relates to clips for hanging from a member, such as a structural member in a building or other structure, the clips in use supporting members, tubes, pipes, cables, fittings or indeed anything that needs to be suspended from the structural or other member. Such clips will be referred to as "clips of the type defined".

In the past, clips of the type defined have been formed in one piece, normally of pressed steel or other suitable material, and a typical element supported by the clips is a bolt, or other supporting part with a threaded end, held to the clip by a nut, the clip having a base portion which has a hole, ideally lying horizontally in use, which is engaged by the threaded end and the nut. A problem arises when the clip is held on a member in such a way that the base portion is not horizontal, because then the element suspended from the base does not hang vertically, leading to significant stress in the base of the element.

Failure has been experienced in such a situation.

According to the invention, there is provided a clip of the type defined comprising an upper portion having an engagement portion for engagement with structural member in use, and a lower portion for engagement by an element to be supported in use, the upper and lower portions being connected rotatably such that the lower portion extends vertically below the connection to the upper portion, in use.

The upper portion and the lower portion of the clip may be separable.

The upper portion may have a hook an-angement and the lower portion an engagement arrangement for rotatably engaging the hook arrangement.

The upper portion may be substantially planar in the region of the hook arrangement, the lower portion being rotatably engaged with the upper portion to allow rotation about an axis lying in the plane of the planar portion of the upper portion, the axis lying horizontally in use.

The hook arrangement on the upper portion may comprise a pair of spaced apart hooks, and the axis of rotation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion may be defined by a line between the pair of hooks.

The pair of hooks may point away from each other; the lower portion may comprise a spaced apart pair of hook engagement elements, each for engaging one hook.

Each hook engagement element may be a hole in a wall, one of the hooks being able to pass through the hole such that the wall hangs on the hook.

The lower portion may comprise a pair of parallel side walls, each with a hole formed therein, and a base connecting the side walls. The base may have a hole or other connection profile to support the element to be supported.

The holes may be of keyhole shape to allow entry of the associated hook through the associated hole in one orientation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion, while preventing disengagement of the associated hook from the associated hole in orientations other than the one orientation.

The upper portion may be substantially planar, or may alternatively be cranked in profile.

The lower portion is preferably of channel section, the side walls lying outside the upper portion when engaged thereon.

By way of example, two embodiments of a clip according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 illustrates various prior art clip arrangements; Figure 2 shows a partly formed upper portion of a clip according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a fully formed clip upper portion according to the invention; Figure 4 shows a lower portion of a clip according to the invention; Figure SA shows a side view of a first embodiment of an assembled clip according to the invention; Figure 5B shows a front view of the clip of Figure 5a; Figure 5C shows a side view of a second embodiment of an assembled clip according to the invention; Figure 6 shows the clip of Figures 5a and 5b in various orientations; and Figure 7 shows the clip of Figure 5c in various orientations.

Figure 1 shows two prior art embodiments of a clip in different hanging orientations to illustrate potential problems.

Figure lB and I B show a cranked clip 10 of steel or other suitable material having an upper portion 11 with a purlin engagement hook 12. The hook 12 sits in use over a purlin 13 or other suitable structural or constructional member. The hook portion 12 is formed with a tang 14 to grip the material of the purlin 13 to hold the clip in position after it has been pushed on to the purlin 13.

The clip 10 has a lower portion 15 secured to the upper portion 11 by welding, rivets or the like, the lower portion 15 forming a loop with a base wall 16 having a hole formed therein for engagement by a threaded element 17 which can be part of or can support a member, construction element or indeed any other element which is to be supported by the clip 10.

Figures 1 B and IC show a second embodiment of a prior art clip the same as that in Figures IA and I B save for the fact that the upper portion 11' is not cranked.

As can be seen in Figures IA, B, C and D, the orientation of the purlin 13 determines the angle to the vertical at which the clip 10 will lie. Similarly, the threaded element 17 will lie at the angle of the clip to the vertical because the clip is rigid. If the clip has to support a member or element of significant mass, parts of the clip, notably the base 16 of the lower portion, engagement of the threaded element 17 in it, are put under significant stress and this has led to instances of failure.

Figures 2 to 4 show the upper portion and lower portion of a clip according to the invention, and its stages of formation.

Figure 2A and 2B show respectively a front and side view of an upper portion 20 of a prior art clip, in accordance with the prior art description of Figure 1. The upper portion is of steel or other suitable material capable of bearing tensile loads. The upper portion has holes 21 and 22 not relevant to the present invention.

Hook portion 23 is formed with a pair of tangs 24, 25 profiled to allow the proportion 20 to engage material of a purlin or other suitable element in one direction, resisting disengagement of the hook portion 23 in use.

The partly formed upper portion shown in Figures 2A and 2B is shown fully formed in Figure 3, a first stage being to cut out to hook profiles 28, 29. For a steel clip, this can be done by stamping (Figure 3A). The upper portion is cranked at 30, although an uncranked embodiment is also possible as will be described later.

Figure 3C shows that the hook portion 23 has ribs 30, 32 formed through pressing, in order to provide rigidity and strengthening of the hook portion 23. The hook portion 23, and tangs 24, 25 have already been described with reference to Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows lower portion 40 of the clip. The lower portion is made of steel or other suitable material pressed to form a channel section having a base 41 and side walls 42, 43. The base is formed with a hole 44 for engagement in use by a threaded shank or other suitable engagement element to enable the clip to support a member, element or other article. Each side wall 42, 43 is formed with a keyhole slot 45, the slots 45 being engageable by the hooks 28, 29 of the upper portion 20.

The side walls 42 and 43 are cranked to reduce the wall separation in an upper part of the lower portion 40 and the material of the lower portion 40 is such that enough flexibility and resilience exists to allow the side walls 42 and 43 to be pulled apart sufficiently for the hooks 28 and 29 to engage the keyhole slots 45.

In order for the hooks 29 and 30 to be able to engage the extended parts of the keyhole slots 45, the upper portion 20 must be oriented to be aligned with the extended portions of the keyhole slots 45. In this way, with the side wall separated, the hooks 28, 29 can be passed through the keyhole slots, and rotation of the upper portion 20 through about 90° will put the clip into its normal orientation for use.

Figure 5A shows a clip with an uncranked upper portion 20 supporting the lower portion engaged thereon as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In the orientation of Figure 5A, the clip supports a threaded shank 50 on which a nut 51 is engaged, the shank passing through the hole 44 in the lower portion 40. Figure SB is a side view of the assembly of Figure 5A and illustrates how the hooks 28, 29 engage the keyhole cut outs 45 in the side waIls 42,43 of the lower portion 40.

Figure 5C illustrates a cranked upper portion 20; otherwise, the assembly shown in Figure SC is the same as that shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the advantage of these embodiments (Figure 6A shows an uncranked upper portion and Figure 7 shows a cranked upper portion of the clip). When the clip has to hang from a purlin or other suitable structural member in a way which causes the upper portion of the clip to lie at an angle to the vertical, it can be seen that the lower portion 40 of the clip is able to hang vertically.

Figure 6A shows quite a severe angle of the purlin 13 to the vertical, the angle of the upper portion of the clip to the vertical in Figure 6A being the same as that of the purlin 13. Notwithstanding this angle, the lower portion 40 of the clip hangs vertically, due to the ability of the lower portion to rotate relative to the upper portion 20. In this way, the lower portion base 41 does not suffer any bending stress due to load supported through the shank 50 and nut 51 suspended from it.

Figures 6B and 6C show variations in the angle at which the purlin 13 lies to the vertical; in Figures 6A, 6B and 6C, it will be seen that the lower portion 40 hangs vertically below the line of engagement between the keyhole slots 45 of the lower portion and the hooks 28,29 formed in the upper portion 20.

Figure 7 shows the cranked upper portion variant of the clip supported by the purlin 13 in different orientations. Again, in Figures 7A, 7B and 7C, it can be seen that the lower portion 40 of the clip always hangs vertically; the cranked upper portion does help to reduce the stress on the hook 23 in the event that the angle of the purlin 13 to the vertical is quite large. Comparing Figure 6A to Figure 7C, for example, the moment caused by a particular load on the lower portion 40 will be reduced by the ratio between the two angles defined, in the case of Figure 7C, between a line joining the axis of contact between the lower portion 40 and the hooks 28, 29 of the upper portion 20 and the point of contact between the hook portion 23 and the purlin 13, and the corresponding line in the assembly of Figure 6A. Having a cranked and uncranked embodiment of the upper portion of the clip allows aversion to be used which minimises the stress experienced by the clip portion 23 while always eliminating sheer stress on the lower portion 40.

It will be appreciated that variations and modifications to the clip may be made within the scope of the appended claims. IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CLIPS

The invention relates to clips for hanging from a member, such as a structural member in a building or other structure, the clips in use supporting members, tubes, pipes, cables, fittings or indeed anything that needs to be suspended from the structural or other member. Such clips will be referred to as "clips of the type defined".

In the past, clips of the type defined have been formed in one piece, normally of pressed steel or other suitable material, and a typical element supported by the clips is a bolt, or other supporting part with a threaded end, held to the clip by a nut, the clip having a base portion which has a hole, ideally lying horizontally in use, which is engaged by the threaded end and the nut. A problem arises when the clip is held on a member in such a way that the base portion is not horizontal, because then the element suspended from the base does not hang vertically, leading to significant stress in the base of the element.

Failure has been experienced in such a situation.

According to the invention, there is provided a clip of the type defined comprising an upper portion having an engagement portion for engagement with structural member in use, and a lower portion for engagement by an element to be supported in use, the upper and lower portions being connected rotatably such that the lower portion extends vertically below the connection to the upper portion, in use.

The upper portion and the lower portion of the clip may be separable.

The upper portion may have a hook an-angement and the lower portion an engagement arrangement for rotatably engaging the hook arrangement.

The upper portion may be substantially planar in the region of the hook arrangement, the lower portion being rotatably engaged with the upper portion to allow rotation about an axis lying in the plane of the planar portion of the upper portion, the axis lying horizontally in use.

The hook arrangement on the upper portion may comprise a pair of spaced apart hooks, and the axis of rotation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion may be defined by a line between the pair of hooks.

The pair of hooks may point away from each other; the lower portion may comprise a spaced apart pair of hook engagement elements, each for engaging one hook.

Each hook engagement element may be a hole in a wall, one of the hooks being able to pass through the hole such that the wall hangs on the hook.

The lower portion may comprise a pair of parallel side walls, each with a hole formed therein, and a base connecting the side walls. The base may have a hole or other connection profile to support the element to be supported.

The holes may be of keyhole shape to allow entry of the associated hook through the associated hole in one orientation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion, while preventing disengagement of the associated hook from the associated hole in orientations other than the one orientation.

The upper portion may be substantially planar, or may alternatively be cranked in profile.

The lower portion is preferably of channel section, the side walls lying outside the upper portion when engaged thereon.

By way of example, two embodiments of a clip according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 illustrates various prior art clip arrangements; Figure 2 shows a partly formed upper portion of a clip according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a fully formed clip upper portion according to the invention; Figure 4 shows a lower portion of a clip according to the invention; Figure SA shows a side view of a first embodiment of an assembled clip according to the invention; Figure 5B shows a front view of the clip of Figure 5a; Figure 5C shows a side view of a second embodiment of an assembled clip according to the invention; Figure 6 shows the clip of Figures 5a and 5b in various orientations; and Figure 7 shows the clip of Figure 5c in various orientations.

Figure 1 shows two prior art embodiments of a clip in different hanging orientations to illustrate potential problems.

Figure lB and I B show a cranked clip 10 of steel or other suitable material having an upper portion 11 with a purlin engagement hook 12. The hook 12 sits in use over a purlin 13 or other suitable structural or constructional member. The hook portion 12 is formed with a tang 14 to grip the material of the purlin 13 to hold the clip in position after it has been pushed on to the purlin 13.

The clip 10 has a lower portion 15 secured to the upper portion 11 by welding, rivets or the like, the lower portion 15 forming a loop with a base wall 16 having a hole formed therein for engagement by a threaded element 17 which can be part of or can support a member, construction element or indeed any other element which is to be supported by the clip 10.

Figures 1 B and IC show a second embodiment of a prior art clip the same as that in Figures IA and I B save for the fact that the upper portion 11' is not cranked.

As can be seen in Figures IA, B, C and D, the orientation of the purlin 13 determines the angle to the vertical at which the clip 10 will lie. Similarly, the threaded element 17 will lie at the angle of the clip to the vertical because the clip is rigid. If the clip has to support a member or element of significant mass, parts of the clip, notably the base 16 of the lower portion, engagement of the threaded element 17 in it, are put under significant stress and this has led to instances of failure.

Figures 2 to 4 show the upper portion and lower portion of a clip according to the invention, and its stages of formation.

Figure 2A and 2B show respectively a front and side view of an upper portion 20 of a prior art clip, in accordance with the prior art description of Figure 1. The upper portion is of steel or other suitable material capable of bearing tensile loads. The upper portion has holes 21 and 22 not relevant to the present invention.

Hook portion 23 is formed with a pair of tangs 24, 25 profiled to allow the proportion 20 to engage material of a purlin or other suitable element in one direction, resisting disengagement of the hook portion 23 in use.

The partly formed upper portion shown in Figures 2A and 2B is shown fully formed in Figure 3, a first stage being to cut out to hook profiles 28, 29. For a steel clip, this can be done by stamping (Figure 3A). The upper portion is cranked at 30, although an uncranked embodiment is also possible as will be described later.

Figure 3C shows that the hook portion 23 has ribs 30, 32 formed through pressing, in order to provide rigidity and strengthening of the hook portion 23. The hook portion 23, and tangs 24, 25 have already been described with reference to Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows lower portion 40 of the clip. The lower portion is made of steel or other suitable material pressed to form a channel section having a base 41 and side walls 42, 43. The base is formed with a hole 44 for engagement in use by a threaded shank or other suitable engagement element to enable the clip to support a member, element or other article. Each side wall 42, 43 is formed with a keyhole slot 45, the slots 45 being engageable by the hooks 28, 29 of the upper portion 20.

The side walls 42 and 43 are cranked to reduce the wall separation in an upper part of the lower portion 40 and the material of the lower portion 40 is such that enough flexibility and resilience exists to allow the side walls 42 and 43 to be pulled apart sufficiently for the hooks 28 and 29 to engage the keyhole slots 45.

In order for the hooks 29 and 30 to be able to engage the extended parts of the keyhole slots 45, the upper portion 20 must be oriented to be aligned with the extended portions of the keyhole slots 45. In this way, with the side wall separated, the hooks 28, 29 can be passed through the keyhole slots, and rotation of the upper portion 20 through about 90° will put the clip into its normal orientation for use.

Figure 5A shows a clip with an uncranked upper portion 20 supporting the lower portion engaged thereon as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In the orientation of Figure 5A, the clip supports a threaded shank 50 on which a nut 51 is engaged, the shank passing through the hole 44 in the lower portion 40. Figure SB is a side view of the assembly of Figure 5A and illustrates how the hooks 28, 29 engage the keyhole cut outs 45 in the side waIls 42,43 of the lower portion 40.

Figure 5C illustrates a cranked upper portion 20; otherwise, the assembly shown in Figure SC is the same as that shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the advantage of these embodiments (Figure 6A shows an uncranked upper portion and Figure 7 shows a cranked upper portion of the clip). When the clip has to hang from a purlin or other suitable structural member in a way which causes the upper portion of the clip to lie at an angle to the vertical, it can be seen that the lower portion 40 of the clip is able to hang vertically.

Figure 6A shows quite a severe angle of the purlin 13 to the vertical, the angle of the upper portion of the clip to the vertical in Figure 6A being the same as that of the purlin 13. Notwithstanding this angle, the lower portion 40 of the clip hangs vertically, due to the ability of the lower portion to rotate relative to the upper portion 20. In this way, the lower portion base 41 does not suffer any bending stress due to load supported through the shank 50 and nut 51 suspended from it.

Figures 6B and 6C show variations in the angle at which the purlin 13 lies to the vertical; in Figures 6A, 6B and 6C, it will be seen that the lower portion 40 hangs vertically below the line of engagement between the keyhole slots 45 of the lower portion and the hooks 28,29 formed in the upper portion 20.

Figure 7 shows the cranked upper portion variant of the clip supported by the purlin 13 in different orientations. Again, in Figures 7A, 7B and 7C, it can be seen that the lower portion 40 of the clip always hangs vertically; the cranked upper portion does help to reduce the stress on the hook 23 in the event that the angle of the purlin 13 to the vertical is quite large. Comparing Figure 6A to Figure 7C, for example, the moment caused by a particular load on the lower portion 40 will be reduced by the ratio between the two angles defined, in the case of Figure 7C, between a line joining the axis of contact between the lower portion 40 and the hooks 28, 29 of the upper portion 20 and the point of contact between the hook portion 23 and the purlin 13, and the corresponding line in the assembly of Figure 6A. Having a cranked and uncranked embodiment of the upper portion of the clip allows aversion to be used which minimises the stress experienced by the clip portion 23 while always eliminating sheer stress on the lower portion 40.

It will be appreciated that variations and modifications to the clip may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. A clip of the type defined comprising an upper portion having an engagement portion for engagement with structural member in use, and a lower portion for engagement by an element to be supported in use, the upper and lower portions being connected rotatably such that the lower portion extends vertically below the connection to the upper portion, in use.

2. A clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion of the clip are separable.

3. A clip as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the upper portion has a hook arrangement and the lower portion an engagement arrangement for rotatably engaging the hook arrangement.

4. A clip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion is substantially planar in the region of the hook arrangement, the lower portion being rotatably engaged with the upper portion to allow rotation about an axis lying in the plane of the planar portion of the upper portion, the axis lying horizontally in use.

5. A clip as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the hook arrangement on the upper portion comprises a pair of spaced apart hooks, and the axis of rotation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion is defined by a line between the pair of hooks.

6. A clip as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hooks point away from each other.

7. A clip as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the lower portion comprises a spaced apart pair of hook engagement elements, each for engaging one hook.

8. A clip as claimed in claim 7, wherein each hook engagement element is a hole in a wall, one of the hooks being able to pass through the hole such that the wall hangs on the hook.

9. A clip as claimed in claim 8 wherein, the lower portion comprises a pair of parallel side walls, each with a hole formed therein, and a base connecting the side walls.

10. A clip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the base has a connection profile to support the element to be supported.

11. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the holes are of keyhole shape to allow entry of the associated hook through the associated hole in one orientation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion, while preventing disengagement of the associated hook from the associated hole in orientations other than the one orientation.

12. A clip as claimed in any one of claims I to 11, wherein the upper portion is substantially planar.

13. A clip as claimed in any one of claims I to 11, wherein the upper portion is cranked in profile.

14. A clip as claimed in claim 10 wherein the lower portion is preferably of channel section, the side walls lying outside the upper portion when engaged thereon.

15. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

15. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

1. A clip of the type defined comprising an upper portion having an engagement portion for engagement with structural member in use, and a lower portion for engagement by an element to be supported in use, the upper and lower portions being connected rotatably such that the lower portion extends vertically below the connection to the upper portion, in use.

2. A clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion of the clip are separable.

3. A clip as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the upper portion has a hook arrangement and the lower portion an engagement arrangement for rotatably engaging the hook arrangement.

4. A clip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion is substantially planar in the region of the hook arrangement, the lower portion being rotatably engaged with the upper portion to allow rotation about an axis lying in the plane of the planar portion of the upper portion, the axis lying horizontally in use.

5. A clip as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the hook arrangement on the upper portion comprises a pair of spaced apart hooks, and the axis of rotation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion is defined by a line between the pair of hooks.

6. A clip as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hooks point away from each other.

7. A clip as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the lower portion comprises a spaced apart pair of hook engagement elements, each for engaging one hook.

8. A clip as claimed in claim 7, wherein each hook engagement element is a hole in a wall, one of the hooks being able to pass through the hole such that the wall hangs on the hook.

9. A clip as claimed in claim 8 wherein, the lower portion comprises a pair of parallel side walls, each with a hole formed therein, and a base connecting the side walls.

10. A clip as claimed in claim 9, wherein the base has a connection profile to support the element to be supported.

11. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the holes are of keyhole shape to allow entry of the associated hook through the associated hole in one orientation of the lower portion relative to the upper portion, while preventing disengagement of the associated hook from the associated hole in orientations other than the one orientation.

12. A clip as claimed in any one of claims I to 11, wherein the upper portion is substantially planar.

13. A clip as claimed in any one of claims I to 11, wherein the upper portion is cranked in profile.

14. A clip as claimed in claim 10 wherein the lower portion is preferably of channel section, the side walls lying outside the upper portion when engaged thereon.