Wires and Pines

This invention relates to a safety device for protecting concealed wires and pipes.

It is generally known that accidents can occur when wires and/or pipes which are hidden in wall, ceiling and floor structures are penetrated by nails or the like, during cladding of the wall cr ceiling structure or subsequently when wall, ceiling and floor fittings are fixed in place, because the exact locations of the wires and/or pipes are unknown.

When such an accident occurs, the cost of repair is subεtantial and time is lost waiting for the repair to be effected. There is also a risk of injury, especially if an electrical wire is penetrated by a nail, whilst major damage to a building and its furnishings can occur if a water pipe iε penetrated, especially if the accident is not initially detected and prolonged leakage occurs.

It is an object of thiε invention to provide a safety device which can be used to r.inimise the risks of accidents of the above-described kind.

According to the invention, there is provided a safety device for protecting concealed wires and pipes, comprising a flat steel plate having, distributed on opposite sides of a centre line across the plate, a plurality of pointed pronσε projecting perpendicularly to the plane of the plate on one side of said plate, each prong being of isosceles trianσular shape with a shorter side in the plane of the

plate and two longer sides leading to the point.

A preferred device is a generally rectangular, galvanised steel plate with rounded corners, and four pointed prongs stamped outwards from the plate adjacent but inwardly of the four corners, so that the prongs are symmetrically arranged with respect to the longitudinal and transverse centre lines across the plate.

Pointed prongs, say about 1 cm or slightly less in length tapering over their entire lengths, are important to avoid splitting the timber wall, ceiling or floor structure tc which the device will be fixed over a wire or pipe.

In the preferred device, the short sides of the prongs where said prongs are joined to the plate preferably lie parallel to the transverse centre line acroεε the plate and the points of the triangular apertures left in the plate are all directed away from thiε transverse centre line. The latter feature iε important to reduce risk of the prongs bending and flatteninσ down behind the plate when the device is fixed in position, i.e. by ha merinσ the plate to drive the prongs into the timber.

A practical embodiment of safety device in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 εhowε the device in underplan view;

Figure 2 εhowε the device in longitudinal εide view;

Ficure 3 εhowε the device in end view; and

Fiσure 4 shows a εerieε of devices in use aε wire and pipe σuarc .

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Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the device comprises a generally rectangular, galvanised steel, flat plate 10 with rounded cornerε 12 having stamped outwardly therefrom four pointed prongs 14, say just under 1 cm in length, which project from one εide of the plate perpendicularly to the plane of the plate.

The prongs 14 are positioned symmetrically with reεpect to the longitudinal and tranεverse centre lines across the plate, just inwardly of the plate corners 12.

Each prong has the shape of an isosceles triangle, with a shorter εide in the plane of the plate where the prong adjoins said plate, and two longer sides leading to the point. The stamping outwardly of the prongs leaves corresponding triangular apertures 16 in the plate which have their short sideε parallel to the tranεverse centre line across the plate and their points also directed away from said centre line.

Figure 4 εhows a series of the devices 18 in use at a timber wall structure to cover a wire 20 and a pipe 22 which will be concealed during and .after cladding.

It will be appreciated that the relative dimensions of the plate are not necessarily aε illustrated. For example, if in Figure 4 the wire and the pipe were to be located more closely together, longer devices could be employed to spar, both the wire and the pipe with a single fixing. Various other modifications of the device are alεo possible within the scope of the invention" hereinbefore defined.