Technical Field

The present invention relates to a clip fastener which is particularly intended for fastening pipes, cables etc. to a porous substratum, e.g. plaster board, and which is made from a resilient material, preferably a plastics material, and which comprises at least one fastener part adapted to co-act with a securing member, and an arm which extends outwardly from said fastener part and which is adapted to grip around pipes, cables etc. to be secured to said sub¬ stratum.

Background Art

Various kinds of fasteners in the form of clips and staples are used in building projects to secure pipes, electric cables and the like to the ceilings and walls of a building. A common feature of these fasteners is that they all include - at least one fastener part which is provided with a hole or a slot which co-operates with a fastener in the form of a screw or a nail, the type of fastener used being dependent upon the nature of the material in the substratum. Clips which are secured with the aid of nails are those fasteners most widely used, because they can be secured to the substratum more rapidly than other fasteners.

Particular problems are encountered when attempting to se¬ cure, for example, electric cables to studword clad with plaster board, such structures becoming more and more usual in present day building structures, because both screws and nails do not seat firmly in the plaster substratum. Conse¬ quently, in order to secure the fastener to the best extent

possible under these circumstances, without undertaking the te¬ dious and laborious task of plugging fastener holes in the substratum, the cable is often drawn in a manner which enable the fasteners to enter an underlying stud or batten. This method, however, means that the cable will at times be drawn through a longer distance than is really necessary, and in other cases will be drawn in a manner which renders it un¬ sightly or less aesthetic. The possibility of using studs to hold the fasteners disappears entirely when the stud-work comprises metal studs , the use of which is becoming more pre¬ valent.

Summary of the Invention

The object of the invention is to provide a clip fastener with which the aforementioned difficulties are overcome and which will provide a firm attachment even in porous sub¬ strata, such as to enable pipes and cables to be secured, for example, to plasterboard without first having to pre¬ pare plugged fastener holes and without needing to rely on underlying stud to govern the manner in which the pipes and cables are drawn.

This object is achieved with a clip fastener fashioned in accordance with the characterizing features set forth in the following claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings ^'

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a clip fastener;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same clip fastener; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the holes in the fastener part of a clip fastener mounted against a substratum.

Description of an Embodiment

The clip fastener illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 includes a fastener part 1 having a substantially planar undersurface for abutment against a substratum, and an arm 2 which extends outwardly from the fastener part and which is adapted to grip around an object to be fastened to and pressed against the substratum. The clip is fastened to the substratum with the aid of a U-shaped staple or U-pin 3, whose legs 4,5 are inserted into holes provided in the fastener part 1 and which is driven into the substratum via the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The holes ^* or bores located in the fastener part 1 extend obliquely in relation to one another, as do also the end surfaces of the legs, and hence when the staple 3 is driven into the substratum the legs will diverge therein. The staple is driven into the substratum until the web of the staple bears against the bottom of a groove 6 located in the upper part of the fastener part 1. The staple shown in an intermediate position in Figure 2, the divergence of the legs of which staple commences immediately in the vicinity of the web section thereof, is suited preferably for use with clip fasteners of the kind with which the staple or U-shaped faste¬ ner pin is incorporated in the plastics material of the- clip in conjunction with its manufacture.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the clip fastener can also be fashioned to receive a loose staple or U-shaped pin 3 in holes 9, 10 located in the fastener part 1, prior to or in conjunction with fastening the cable, pipe or like object to the substratum. The holes 9,10 are located in a plane which extends preferably at right angles to the undersurface

of the fastener part 1 intended to abut the substratum 8, such as to enable the clip to be readily mounted with the aid of a so-called stapling device or a stapling gun. The holes 9 , 10 of the Figure 3 embodiment define the shape of an inverted cone and are separated solely by a wedge-shaped portion 7, which when driving a staple centres the staple and causes the legs thereof to diverge, thereby facilitating guidance of the staple into the substratum. Figure 3 illu¬ strates in full lines a staple 3 during its introduction into the holes 9, 10 in the fastener part 1, and in broken lines the same staple with the legs diverged and driven hard into the substrate 8.

The holding force of the clip fastener according to the in¬ vention is no longer solely dependent on the friction cre¬ ated between the fastener element and the wall of the hole made in the substratum 8 by the fastener element, as in the case of conventional nail-clips. In order to remove the fastener means according to the invention from the substratum 8, it is necessary either to deform the legs 4,5 and/or break away the material in the substratum.

The form of both the fastener part 1 and the staple 3 can be varied within the scope of the invention. For example, the holes in the fastener part can be directed so that the legs 4-, 5 of the staple 3. converge when entering the sub¬ stratum, thereby also improving the firmness of the clip attachment in conformity with the concept of the invention.