Such pipe supports are used for the suspension of smaller pipes, including special steel pipes such as, for example, pipes for water/heating systems, process pipes, installation pipes and the like, and especially in connection with visible, non-insulated pipe installations, e. g. in houses and apartments, institutions, laboratories, industrial buildings etc.

The known technique Hitherto-known pipe supports of the said kind which are produced in metal, or in some cases plastic, are produced with a fixed distance between the wall flange and the pipe to be supported, i. e. for example the distance between the wall flange and the centre of the pipe. An aspect common to these known pipe supports is that this distance most often depends on the dimension of the pipe for which the relevant pipe support is intended. Moreover, pipe supports of metal are known where the wall flange can be dismounted, and where one or more extension pieces, also of metal, can be inserted between the wall flange and the pipe support shell, so that the distance between the wall and the pipe can be increased.

Different forms of pipe suspensions (unlike pipe supports) are also known whereby pipe installations can be suspended from ceiling parts, beams and the like, but which can not be used for the mounting of pipes on walls, floors and the like, in that the pipe suspension is configured only to absorb tractive forces and not, for example, forces in the lateral direction. Moreover, such pipe suspensions are normally intended for use in concealed installations or in places where the appearance is of no significance, so that a pipe suspension is not normally configured with regard being paid to design.

Such a pipe suspension is known from US patent publication no. 2,539,783, where between a mounting flange and a pipe support part there is a distance piece in the form of a tube. This distance piece, which like the remaining part of the pipe suspension is made of metal, can be shortened in length, after which it must be secured by soldering to sleeve parts on the mounting flange and the pipe support part.

Also from US patent publication no. 3,273,837 there is known a pipe sus- pension which does not have any mounting flange, but which is used to suspend pipes from beams, rafters or the like. These pipe suspensions are produced in plastic material and have a distance piece with a number of holes for nails or screws for use in fastening on the side of a beam or the like. The distance piece can be shortened, after which it is glued fast in a hole in the pipe support.

These known pipe suspensions can thus indeed be shortened in length, but the use of these pipe suspensions is very complicated and time-consuming, and such pipe suspensions are not able to support a pipe installation in re- lation to a surface, which is at any angle in relation to the horizontal plane.

Finally, from DE publication no. 2,304,746 there is known a pipe support which has a distance piece, and which can be fastened to an underlayer by

means of a screw which is inserted through an opening in the distance piece.

This distance piece is provided with an external thread corresponding to an internal thread in a hole in an under-part of the pipe support. By turning the distance piece, the distance to the underiayer can thus be set or adjusted.

This known pipe support can indeed thus be adjusted in height above the underlayer, but the adjustment is relatively time-consuming, and in practice the distance over which an adjustment can be made is limited by the length of the internal and/or the external thread.

The technical problem that is solved With the use of the known pipe supports, the pipe layouts must be arranged and adapted following the fixed distance of the pipe supports from walls or ceilings to the centre of the pipes, which is inexpedient. Moreover, with in- stallations where use is made of pipes of different dimensions, the result is that pipes of different dimensions will lie at varying distances from the wall or the ceiling. This will give rise to"crooked"installations, and frequently also to undesired loads on the pipe supports, pipe installations and associated components etc. Finally, the use of pipe supports of the above-mentioned kind with extension tubes will mean that these metal extension tubes must exist in suitable lengths in order to be able to effect a desired increase in the distance between wall and pipe, and it will not be possible to achieve a distance between wall and pipe which is less than the fixed distance which is achieved with a pipe support without extension tubes.

With the invention it is desired to provide an improved pipe support with which the above-mentioned disadvantages are avoided, in that the pipes must be able to be mounted at a suitable distance from the wall, ceiling or the like, in that said distance shall be open to free selection.

With the invention it is further desired to provide a pipe support which, unlike the pipe suspensions known from the above-mentioned US publications, can support a pipe layout not only in a downwards direction in relation to a ceiling, a beam or the like, but also in relation to a surface at any angle in relation to the horizontal, which can easily be adjusted to any distance from the supporting surface, which is simple and can be used quickly, and which has the advantage that it does not require the use of special work-demanding operations such as soldering, gluing or the like in the mounting process.

In comparison with the tube support known from the above-mentioned German publication, it is desired to provide a pipe support with which a pipe can immediately be secured at a given distance above an underlayer, in that the pipe support can be adjusted easily and quickly to the given distance.

The new technique The innovative aspect of the invention is that the under-part comprises a distance piece between the pipe support sheli and the wall flange, in that said distance piece can be shortened in length and has a through-going axial opening through which a securing element for the pipe support can be inserted, and that the pipe support is produced in plastic or similar material.

The technical effect By using the above-mentioned technique, the pipe supports can thus be arranged with any desirable distance between pipe and wall, ceiling or the like, so that pipe installations can be mounted in optimal positions in relation to building parts while paying regard to minimal loads on pipes, pipe supports and other components, and with regard to the desire of making pipe installations as simple and as aesthetically attractive as possible. At the same

time, since the pipe support according to the invention is produced in plastic or similar material, it is relatively easy to carry out the shortening, e. g. by means of a hack-saw, and pipe supports with the correct desired length can therefore be produced immediately.

The pipe support according to the invention can be mounted quite simply, e. g. by inserting a screw or the like through the under-part consisting of the pipe support shell, the tubular distance piece and the wall flange, without having to use special and work-demanding operations such as soldering or gluing.

In addition to the fact that the pipes as mentioned can be supported not only from ceiling surfaces and the like, it is achieved with the pipe support according to the invention when compared with the known pipe suspensions that the pipe support can also be used without inconvenience in visible in- stallations, in that the pipe support in the configuration disclosed can be produced so that it is suitable both in form and appearance. This is achieved, among other things, by the individual parts being adaptable to one another from the point of view of shape, and in that the pipe support is held assembled and eventually mounted on the supporting surface with a securing element that passes through the through-going opening in the distance piece.

With suitable embodiments, as disclosed in claim 2 and 3, the wall flange can be removed before shortening and mounted on the pipe support after shortening of the distance piece, at the same time that the wall flange is positioned securely in relation to the distance piece.

With a particularly suitable embodiment, as characterised in claim 4, it is made easy to shorten the distance piece to the desired length. For example, the ruler scale can be arranged so that it indicates the distance between the wall and the centre of the pipe (or, to be more precise, the centre of the opening in the pipe support in which the pipe is placed). If a pipe support is to be

provided for a pipe where the desired distance is known, the distance piece can quite simply be shortened to the given distance on the distance piece. If the relevant pipe is one which has already been placed, the distance from the wall to the centre of the pipe can be measured e. g. by means of a ruler, and in the same way the distance piece is then shortened to the given distance on the distance piece.

With yet a further embodiment, as disclosed in claim 5, use can be made of extension tubes for extension of the distance piece, so that the pipe support can also be used at greater distances. As disclosed in claim 6, these exten- sion tubes can be brought together with the distance piece by means of a guide nipple, and the extension tubes can be configured in different lengths as disclosed in claim 7.

As disclosed in claim 8, it can be expedient for the pipe supports to be pro- vided with an internal recess in the opening that accommodates the pipe, in which a strip-formed part can be inserted. This is expedient in that the pipe support is produced in plastic or the like, and herewith it is not possible to directly transfer such great forces to a pipe as the known pipe supports of metal. As disclosed in claim 10, in order to increase the degree to which the pipe is secured, a strip of rubber material can be inserted which will hereby press against the pipe and secure it against displacement. Alternatively, as disclosed in claim 11, use can be made of a strip of metal, whereby the pipe support is given better strength characteristics and can thus tolerate greater loads.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the figures in the drawing.

The drawing Fig. 1 shows a pipe support according to the invention seen from the side, fig. 2 shows an under-part for the pipe support shown in fig.

1, i. e. the pipe support with the upper-part removed, seen from the left, fig. 3 shows the pipe support shown in fig. 1, seen from the left, fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the pipe support according to the invention provided with a ruler scale and seen from the side, fig. 5 shows a pipe support according to the invention, where said pipe support is mounted on a wall and is seen from the side, fig. 6 shows a cross-section of a wall flange and a piece of an extension tube for a pipe support according to the invention, fig. 7 similarly shows a cross-section of a wall flange and a piece of an extension tube, but with a wall flange in a second expedient embodiment, and fig. 8 shows a section along the line VII-VII in fig. 4 of an upper-part for a pipe support.

Example embodiments In fig. 1 is shown a pipe support according to the invention seen from the side.

The pipe support has an under-part 4 consisting of a pipe support shell 7 and a distance piece 5 connected herewith. In the example shown, the pipe support shell 7 is configured as a shell with a semicircular cross-section on which two flaps 8 are provided. The distance piece 5 is in the form of a tube,

in that it has a through-going hole 6 as indicated by the stippled lines in fig. 1.

Provided at the end of the distance piece 5 there is a wall flange or foot piece 1 which can be removed. This wall flange 1 has a guide nipple 2 which is similarly indicated by stippled lines in fig. 1, and which has such an external diameter that it can be pressed into the through-going hole 6 in the distance piece. It is possible that the guide nipple can be secured in the through-going hole 6 by friction.

The pipe support also has an upper-part 10 which is similarly configured as a shell with a semicircular cross-section on which two flaps 11 are provided. The under-part 4 is assembled with the upper-part 10 by means of e. g. two screws 13, which through holes 12 (shown in fig. 3) in the flaps 11 are screwed down into holes 9 (shown in fig. 2) in the flaps 8. Between the pipe support shell 7 and the upper-part 10 there is thus formed an opening which is approximately circular, and in which a pipe can be secured. As will be described in more detail later, the pipe support has an internal, annular slot or recess 14, which is indicated by stippled lines in fig. 1.

In fig. 2 the pipe support shown in fig. 1 is seen from the left and with the upper-part 10 removed. It is thus seen that the pipe support shell 7 with the two ftaps 8, each with its through-going hole 9, can be provided with threads to accommodate screws 13. Moreover, the outline of the distance piece 5 is indicated with stippled lines, and also shown is the through-going hole 6 which extends right up through the pipe support shell 7. The foot piece or wall flange 1 can also be seen. Finally, in fig. 2 is shown the slot or recess 14 in the pipe support shell 7, said recess being provided in both the semicircular part and the flaps 8, so that the recess also exists around the holes 9.

In fig. 3 the pipe support shown in fig. 1 is seen from the left, so that in ad- dition to the circumference of the foot piece or wall flange 1, the upper part 10 is seen. Also on this the internal slot or recess 14 is indicated with stippled

lines, and the flaps 11 with the through-going holes 12 through which screws 13 are inserted can also be seen. In the shown example, these are provided with a cross-recessed head, but can naturally be configured with any other form of screw head.

Except for the screws 13, all of the above-mentioned parts in the pipe support are produced in a suitable plastic material, such as e. g. POM plastic, which satisfies the requirements for a combination of strength and pliability. The screws 13 will most often be steel screws, e. g. of the sizes M4 or M5.

In fig. 4 there is seen a pipe support corresponding to that in fig. 1, but in an embodiment intended for pipes of another dimension. In this embodiment, however, the distance piece 5 is also provided with a kind of ruler scale or length indication 15. This scale can, for example, be provided with millimetre or centimetre graduations, where e. g. the centimetre graduations can be numbered. For example, the distance indicated can be that distance which will exist between the bottom of the foot piece or wall flange 1 and the centre of the opening which accommodates the pipe (in the embodiments shown the level for the dividing face between the upper-part 10 and the pipe support shell 7), when the distance piece is shortened at the relevant place. When the desired distance is known, e. g. because it has been measured, it will be easy to shorten the distance piece 5, in that the wall flange 1 is taken off the distance piece which is then cut over at the relevant distance indication, for example using a hack-saw or the like, and the wall flange 1 is mounted again.

Hereafter, the pipe support will have the desired distance between the bottom of the wall flange 1 and the centre of the opening that accommodates the pipe.

Fig. 5 similarly shows a pipe support seen from the side, corresponding to the embodiments shown in figs. 1 and 4, but intended for pipes of a third dimension. Here it is also shown how the pipe support is mounted on a wall 17

or a corresponding building part. As shown with the stippled lines, a hole 18 is drilled in the wall 17, and a rawl plug is inserted into said hole. A screw 19, e. g. a wood screw, which in fig. 5 is similarly shown by stippled lines, is inserted through the pipe support shell 7 in the through-going hole 6, through a through-going hole 3 (shown in fig. 6) in the wall flange 1, and is screwed into the rawlplug in the hole 18 in the wall 17, so that the head 20 of the screw, which abuts up against the opening in the pipe support shell 7 to the through-going hole 6, presses the under-part 4 of the pipe support against the wall flange 1 and both parts against the wall 17. The opening in the pipe support shell 7 to the through-going hole 6 is suitably countersunk, so that the head 20 of the screw 19 does not abut against a pipe that is to be secured by the pipe support.

The pipe support can be produced in a number of standard dimensions, e. g. with pipe accommodation openings of 15 mm, 18 mm, 22 mm, 28 mm and 35 mm in diameter, corresponding respectively to 1/4"pipes, 3/8"pipes, 1/2" pipes, 3/4"pipes and 1"pipes. Moreover, the pipe support can be produced in other dimensions, e. g. 10 mm, 12 mm of 35 mm and possibly also 14 mm, 16 mm and 20 mm. In the embodiments seen in the figures, the pipe supports are shown with distance pieces 5 of the same diameter and with plastic parts of the same thickness. In practice, however, the pipe supports can be produced in a lighter version for pipe opening diameters up to 15 mm, a medium version for openings from 15 mm up to 22 mm, and a heavier version for openings above 22 mm, where both the diameter of the distance piece and the thickness of the parts are adapted to suit the increased load.

In all of the shown embodiments, the pipe supports have the same length between the centre of the pipe opening and the bottom of the wall flange 1 (e. g. approx. 35 mm), but can naturally be produced with other lengths.

In fig. 6, which shows a cross-section of a wall flange 1 and an extension tube 16, there is seen the configuration of the wall flange 1 with guide nipple 2 which is provided with a central through-going hole 3. As shown, the guide nipple 2 is of such an outside diameter that it can just be fitted into the extension tube 16. This tube can be used if the pipe support is required to be used in a place where the distance to the wall exceeds the maximum distance, which can be achieved with the distance piece 5 alone. The ex- tension tube 16 can thus be inserted between the distance piece 5 and the wall flange 1, in that at its upper end (not shown) the extension tube can have a guide nipple corresponding to that existing at the wall flange 1, whereby the connection between extension tube 16 and distance piece 5 becomes very stable.

In the same manner as the distance piece 5, the extension tube 16 can be provided with a ruler scale for the indication of the distance between the centre of the pipe and the wall, and the numbering provided on the scale can possibly be in continuation of the numbering on the distance piece, so that an optimum distance can be transferred directly to the extension tube, which is then shortened at the relevant place. The extension tubes can be configured in one or more different standard lengths and/or pipe dimensions, just as several extension tubes can be used together if this should be necessary. The extension tubes are preferably configured in the same plastic material as the remaining plastic parts that form the pipe support.

With the example in fig. 6, an assembly between a wall flange 1 and an extension tube 16 is shown, but it will be understood that the assembly could just as well be an assembly between a wall flange 1 and a distance piece 5.

In fig. 7 there is shown a second expedient configuration for the wall flange 1 in connection with an extension tube 6. Here, in the area around the through- going hole 3, the wall flange 1 is provided with an annular recess, cutout or

the like 21, which has an outer diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the extension tube 6. When the extension tube 6 is assembled with the wall flange 1, the two parts will thus be securely positioned in relation to each other. In the example shown, use is made of an assembly between a wall flange and an extension tube, but the wall flange 1 shown configured with the annualar recess 21 can just as well be used together with a distance piece 5 on an under-part 4 of a pipe support according to the invention, and can thus be used instead of the wall flange with guide nipple 2 in the embodiments shown in figs. 1,4 and 5.

In fig. 8 is shown a cross-section of an upper-part 10 along the line VII-VII indicated in fig. 4. There is thus seen the cross-section of the groove or recess 14, the shape of which is the same along the whole of the inside periphery of the pipe opening and, where a substantial part is concerned, out in the flaps 8 and 11.

In this recess 14 there can be inserted a strip (not shown) of suitable material, which can improve the characteristics of the pipe support. For example, a strip of rubber or plastic material can be inserted, such as e. g. EPDM rubber, the thickness of which is slightly greater than the depth of the recess 14. When the pipe support is tightened together by means of the screws 13, the strip wili press against the pipe and thus secure the pipe against displacement, just as the strip will also have an insulating effect against sound, vibrations and other movements.

If a strip is not inserted in the recess 14 in the pipe support, the result will be that the pipe can be displaced in the longitudinal direction, in that the pipe will be able to slide through the pipe support opening, which, in certain situations, can be desirable.

The strip inserted can also be a strip of metal, such as e. g. iron or stainless steel. This can similarly be of a thickness that is greater than the depth of the recess 14 but, however, this is not always necessary. The metal strip can e. g. be configured with a dimension of 8.0 x 0.7 mm. These metal strips can be inserted solely along the periphery of the pipe, but they are preferably configured in such a manner that they each have a form corresponding to the recess 14 in the pipe support shell 7 and the upper-part 10 respectively, and thus also fill out the recesses in the respective flaps 8 and 11. The metal strips are thus used in pairs and are provided with holes corresponding to the holes 9 and 12 in the flaps 8 and 11. The pipe support can hereby be used for heavier loads, in that the metal strips will serve as reinforcement shims so that the load will rest primarily on the assembly screws 13 and the metal shims, and secondarily on the plastic parts of the pipe support.