This invention relates to the general subject of installing electric or fibre-optic cables in walls and ceilings of buildings and the terms “cable” or “cabling” is intended to include any type of cabling capable of transmitting signals and/or power, such as electric cables, aerial cables and fibre-optic cables composed of a core and a cladding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When installing electrical fittings within rooms of buildings the electrician normally has to make three visits to the site, the first to install the cabling and any associated cable pigtails of electric wires between wall studs and ceiling joists, the pigtails being the cut and exposed ends of copper wire for later insertion into electrical fittings such as light fittings and wall sockets, to then record and often photograph the positioning of the cables and any pigtails; before thermal or sound insulation has been installed and plasterboard or other surface finish has been fixed over the studs or joists, thereby hiding the cabling and any pigtails. The second visit by the electrician therefore involves locating the hidden cabling and any pigtails by reference to the photographs and records obtained during the first visit and then cutting holes in e.g. the plasterboard and, where required, the insulation itself, so as to expose the cabling and any pigtails. After plastering or painting the third visit allows the electrical fittings to be finally installed and connected to the cabling. During all of this work the cabling and any associated pigtails can be accidentally moved from their original positions when e.g. installing insulation because the cabling itself is essentially loose, meaning that the process of locating the cabling and any pigtails can be timeconsuming and where plasterboard has been cut in the wrong location it also has to be repaired. In addition, because different tradesmen/women are involved in the entire process of fitting out a room in a building there is often a delay in, for example, installing plasterboard and thermal insulation, then waiting for a plasterer to apply finish plaster, only after which can the electrician return to the site for a third and final visit.

Accordingly, the entire process can result in significant delays in finally fixing electrical fittings and, even then, the cabling itself can end up in unintended locations behind the plasterboard, thereby constituting a potential hazard where, for example, screws or other fixings are driven through the plasterboard following completion of the initial build. The same considerations apply when fitting fibreoptic cabling and any associated pigtails, or other types of cabling.

The present invention is derived from the realisation that there is a need for an alternative system of installing such cabling and associated fittings in finished walls and ceilings that ensures the cabling is retained in its intended position behind the finished wall or ceiling and which makes locating the cabling much easier during the initial build or even after, and which requires fewer visits by the electrician have less cost and minimum delay. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a cablesupporting bracket means for attachment to a wall or ceiling substructure, such as a wall stud or ceiling joist, the bracket means comprising or including an initially generally flat bracket preform foldable into a generally right-angled bracket for fixing to the substructure, the preform comprising or including a leg portion having at least one aperture therealong, one end of the leg portion being connected or connectable to a foot portion by a main hinge or clip, the foot portion or the leg portion having respectively opposite wing portions, each wing portion being connected or connectable to respectively opposite sides of the leg portion or the foot portion by a respective wing hinge or clip, locking formations on or in each wing co-operable with formations on or in the leg or foot portions, or vice versa, whereby to form when assembled a generally right-angled bracket, the arrangement being such that upon fixing of the foot of the bracket to the substructure the apertures in the leg permit the selective placement of cabling therethrough whereby to thereafter permit the location of the cabling relative to the wall or ceiling to be recorded by reference to the particular aperture(s) into which the cabling has been inserted and wall or ceiling finish surfaces have been installed over the cabling.

With this arrangement, during the first site visit by the cable installer and after placement of the bracket(s) and cabling, the location of the cabling and any cable pigtails can be easily recorded manually, such as by counting the number of apertures in the leg portion of the bracket(s) and identifying a particular aperture into which the cabling has been installed, or by recording an image/photograph of the or each bracket and cabling whereby to locate the cabling and any associated pigtails at the second site visit after being hidden by e.g. plasterboard and attendant finish plaster or paint.

Conveniently, the bracket leg includes sets of cable-receiving apertures, each set having a circular aperture for receiving a single cable and an oblong aperture for receiving a correspondingly shaped twin cable or pairs of single cables, with each set being disposed at regular intervals along the leg. The leg may also conveniently include a raised lip around its major periphery whereby to stiffen the leg.

Further in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, there is also provided a kit of such bracket preforms, such as in a flat-pack, in which the respective lengths of the leg portion of each bracket are varied, such as corresponding to the lengths of leg for fitting between standard distances between ceiling joists and wall studs, or being in a set of brackets with a selection of different leg lengths ranging progressively from relatively short to long, thereby avoiding wastage by enabling the closest fit or match of bracket to be selected at each installation site.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of installing cabling as defined in or on wall or ceiling surfaces using at least one bracket generally according to the first aspect of the invention, the method including the steps, in any convenient order, of installing the or each bracket on sub-structures such as ceiling joists or wall studs and installing cabling therethrough to include any cable pigtails at positions corresponding to those required for the or each type of cable fitting, recording the position of the or each bracket, the cabling and any pigtails, and making a second visit to the site once the wall or ceiling finish surfaces have been at least partially installed, identifying with reference to the records obtained from the first visit the location of the cabling and/or any pigtails and cutting out an aperture for receiving a required fitting to be thereafter connected to the cabling or any pigtails.

In accordance with the method of the invention, during the first visit to the site the cable installeer can insert cabling through multiple aligned brackets and through common apertures or sets of apertures on each bracket, so as to prevent unwanted movement of the cabling before the second site visit and to ensure that after final installation of the required cable fitting the position of the cabling remains fixed, typically being in a straight line horizontally or vertically.

Thus, in accordance with the method of the invention, the installation of cabling and associated fittings can be achieved with only two visits to the site, thereby saving time and money as compared to prior art methods of installing such cabling and fittings requiring three site visits, as well as ensuring that the cabling is safely retained behind the plasterboard, or other finish surface, at known positions as a consequence of recording where the or each bracket is fixed and where, along the leg of the or each bracket, the cabling has been installed. Preferably, in accordance with the method of the invention there is also provided a software application programmed to record data from a work site including the location of the or each bracket in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and thereafter displaying either locally or remotely the position of the or each bracket, cabling and any cable pigtails whereby to permit the installation of fittings connectable to the cabling whether or not the cable installer attending the second site visit is the same as the one attending the first site visit.

The software application may conveniently allow one or more images of the site and the position of the cabling supported by the or each bracket to be stored for future reference on e.g. a smart phone, or to be sent to a remote location such as a server or to another smart phone. With this arrangement, for example, a first electrician can install cabling and brackets in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, and after plasterboard and any plaster has been applied a second electrician can download a record of the respective positions of the or each bracket, cabling and any pigtails with reference to e.g. images and/or measured positions relative to the site, such as the distance from the floor or the ceiling and the distance between one wall and an opposite wall and the particular aperture in the or each bracket into which the cabling has been inserted, thereby allowing the first electrician to continue installing cabling and associated brackets in other parts of the building or in other buildings and for the second visit to the site, (which may be days or weeks later following installation of insulation, plasterboard and plaster finish) to be made by the same or a different electrician who is therefore able to easily identify the location of the or each bracket, the cabling and any pigtails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an unassembled bracket preform for making a bracket according to the first aspect of the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled bracket of Figure 1 , Figure 3 is a part-perspective view of part of a room in which a bracket in accordance with the first aspect of the invention has been installed on a sub-structure along with electric cabling and cable pigtails, and

Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing the various functions of the software application in accordance with the third aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a plan view of a bracket (1 ) in its flat, unassembled, preform condition comprising an elongate leg portion (2) a foot portion (3) connected to the leg portion by a living main hinge (4). On respectively opposite sides of the foot portion (3) are triangular wing portions (5) each connected to the foot portion by respective living hinges (6). Surrounding most of the perimeter of the leg portion is a raised lip (7) serving to provide rigidity to the leg portion (2), the leg portion also having a flat section (2a) not surrounded by the raised lip (7), the flat section (2a) having respectively opposite edges serving as clip formations engageable in generally “U” shaped locking formations in the form of clips (8) at the free ends of the wings (5) when the bracket (1 ) is assembled and as shown with reference to Figure 2.

Extending along the length of leg (2) are respective sets of apertures, each set comprising a circular aperture (9) and a generally oblong aperture (10), each for receiving different sizes and shapes of cabling (not shown). In the foot portion (3) there are provided bracket mounting slots (11 ) for receiving screw fasteners (not shown) by which the bracket (1 ) may be permanently fixed to a rigid sub-structure such as a wall stud or ceiling joist. The overall length of the leg (2) is below the width between wall studs or ceiling joists, which are typically with 400 mm or 600 mm centres. Thus, for convenience, an electrician may be provided with a selection of bracket preforms of varying lengths to suit such varying widths, or single sizes of bracket preform which can therefore be cut-down to a required length of leg.

Figure 2 shows the bracket (1) in its fully assembled substantially right-angled condition in which the locking clips (8) on the ends of each of the wings (5) have been clipped onto the edges of the flat section (2a) of the leg (2) in order to retain its right-angled shape. The assembly of the bracket (1) may be completed before it is fixed in place on a wall stud or ceiling joist, or it may instead be secured thereto when in its flat, unassembled condition, particularly if there are any difficulties accessing the bracket mounting slots (11), whereafter the leg portion (2) can be hinged to the right-angled position as shown in Figure 2 and retained in that position by the clips (8).

Figure 3 shows part of a plasterboard wall section (14) with a part of the plasterboard cut away, showing the bracket (1) in use and mounted on a wall stud (15). Extending through one of the generally oblong apertures (10) are a pair of electric cables (12), part of which have been cut to strip and expose the copper core to form respective pigtails (13) for connection to a respective electrical fitting (not shown). The bracket (1 ) therefore not only provides a convenient way of easily locating where the pigtails (13) are within a plaster- finished room but also serve the purpose of acting as a cable-tidy, effectively ensuring that the cables (12) are retained in their intended position and minimising any sagging of the cabling (12) when connected to respective electrical fittings.

Turning to Figure 4, a flow chart details the method of use of the software application for recordal/retrieval of electrical cabling placement information. The method is divided into 2 main stages, the first a data capture method - here information is either obtained by the device itself, such as location data and time/date information; inputted manually, such as room data and text notes; or obtained through other sources such as the photos, which are envisaged in use to be obtained from the in-built camera of the phone. After information has been collected from the site at the end of the first site visit, the second stage of storage/access/sharing is engaged during a second site visit. This information may be stored locally on the device or on a remote storage system, such as a server. Any number of devices capable of using the software and authorised to access the data may then, using a number of methods including searching by location data provided by the user device, access the particular site and project information, thereby allowing one or more users, who may have never visited the site before, to share access to the detailed information of cable placement. Thus, after the first site visit and electrician attending at the second side visit may not only been able to easily locate the cabling and any pigtails but may also be provided with relevant project information, such as the type of fitting to be installed at a particular location, such as a wall switch or ceiling light.

Although the software application in the flow chart of figure 4 is employed as part of a mobile phone application, it could equally be utilised on an unnetworked portable device or a static device such as a personal computer. The advantage of portability and networking is, however, obvious, and the portable software application is the preferred method of use of the method described.