Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a spacer track for a building and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to such a spacer track for locating on building joists to create a space between the joist and the flooring.

Background to the Invention

In many homes and other types of buildings a second floor or additional floor is constructed using wood, steel or concrete beams, called joists, which are installed on edge and set parallel from wall to wall or supported on larger beams or girders to create floors and ceilings. Typically the sub-flooring material sits directly on top of the joists and the ceiling material sits directly on the under-surface of the joist creating an enclosed box between the joists. The stale air and lack of ventilation in this enclosed space frequently results in dry rot and musty odours. There is a further problem with having the sub- flooring material sitting directly on the joists in that noise and vibration travels freely through the joist to the ceiling and room below. Apart from the noise problem, such vibration can also result in cracking of plaster board joints or popping-off of the skim coat over the top of fasteners in the ceiling below. The present invention was developed with a view to providing a spacer track that sits between the joists and the sub-flooring material and thus will help to significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the above-noted problems. It will be apparent that the building spacer track may also be used on vertical walls and therefore has wider application beyond ceiling and floor joists. References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere. Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a building spacer track for locating between a structural beam and a surface of a building material supported on the beam, the spacer track comprising: first and second elongate track members arranged substantially parallel and in facing relation to each other; and, a plurality of spacer elements provided at spaced intervals between the first and second track members, the spacer elements maintaining a defined spacing between the track members whilst also permitting free movement of air from one side of the spacer track to the other between the spacer elements.

Advantageously the spacer track further comprises a third elongate track member which rests on one of the first or second track members in abutting relationship, and which is made of a suitable material to receive fasteners therein to permit the building material to be fastened to the spacer track.

Preferably the spacer elements are made from a resilient, vibration-absorbing material. Preferably the first and second track members are made from the same resilient, vibration-absorbing material. Typically the resilient, vibration- absorbing material is a hardened rubber material. In one embodiment, the resilient, vibration-absorbing material is an injection molded plastic, structurally tested for compliance with building regulations.

Preferably each spacer element is of circular cross-section. Advantageously each spacer element is waisted, having a diameter which decreases from a maximum diameter at a top to a minimum diameter at a central waist region, and then increases again to a maximum diameter at a bottom. In one embodiment, each spacer element is extendible and retractable. Preferably, each spacer element is capable of being rotated to increase or decrease the thickness of the track such that, in use imperfections of the surface underneath, such as unevenness are compensated for, resulting in a substantially level surface. According to a second aspect of the present invention the first elongate track member is made of a suitable material to receive fasteners therein to permit the building material to be fastened to the spacer track. Preferably, the first elongate track member is of a suitable thickness to receive fasteners therein. Preferably, the spacer elements according to the second aspect of the present invention are made from a resilient, vibration-absorbing material. Preferably, the spacer elements have a substantially rectangular cross- section. Advantageously each spacer element is waisted

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment of the building spacer track, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a building spacer track in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is side elevation of the spacer track of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a floor joist in a building showing the spacer track of Figure 1 in situ;

Figure 4 is a top perspective view showing the spacer track of Figure 1 seated on top of a floor joist;

Figure 5 illustrates how electrical wiring and service conduits can pass through the spacer track of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a top perspective view of a floor joist in a building showing the spacer track of Figure 1 in situ;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second floor in a building showing how the spacer tracks provide ventilation between the floor joists;

Figure 8 illustrates the application of the spacer track of Figure 1 in a vertical wall;

Figure 9 illustrates a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a building spacer track in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 10 is side elevation of the spacer track of Figure 9.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

A first embodiment of a building spacer track 10 in accordance with the invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, comprises first and second elongate track members 12a and 12b arranged substantially parallel and in facing relation to each other. A plurality of spacer elements 14 are provided at spaced intervals between the first and second track members 12a and 12b. The spacer elements 14 are designed to maintain a defined spacing between the track members 12 whilst also permitting free movement of air from one side of the spacer track 0 to the other between the spacer elements 4. The building spacer track 10 is designed for locating between a structural beam 16 and a surface of a building material 18 supported on the beam 16, as illustrated, for example, in Figures 3, 6 and 7. Advantageously the spacer track 10 further comprises a third elongate track member 20 which rests on one of the first or second track members 12 in abutting relationship. The third elongate track member 20 is made of a suitable material to receive fasteners therein to permit the building material 18 to be fastened to the spacer track 10. In the illustrated embodiment the third elongate track member 20 is made of laminated wood material and it abuts the first track member 12a.

In Figures 3, 6 and 7 the spacer track 10 is shown seated on top of a floor joist 16. The spacer track 10 is fixed to the floor joist 16 with suitable fasteners, in this example screws 22, as shown in Figures 3 and 6. The sub- floor material 18 may then be fixed to the third elongate track member 20 with screws 24, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 6. A ceiling material 30 is fixed to the underside of the joist 16 using suitable fasteners, in this example screws 32. The spacer track 10 maintains a spacing between the sub-floor material 18 and the floor joist 16 so that there can be free movement of air from one side of the joist 16 to the other. Vents 36 installed in the exterior walls of the building at joist level, as illustrated in Figure 7, means that the space between the sub-floor material 18 and the ceiling material 30 can be fully ventilated. This will substantially reduce or eliminate dry rot and the musty odour that otherwise accumulates between the joists.

A further advantage of the spacer track 10 is that tradesmen, such as plumbers and electricians, no longer have to drill countless holes through joists to feed wires, pipes or conduits from one side of the house to the other at joist level. All such wires, pipes and conduits can now simply pass through the spacer track 10 between the spacer elements 14. This is a major advantage for builders as it cuts down on labour costs, reduces the time to run wires, cables, pipes, etc, and avoids weakening the joists by eliminating the need to drill numerous holes through the joists. Also, from an electrician's point of view, it is very dangerous to run live cables and wires through timber joists. Over time the insulation of such wires can become damaged due to wear and tear, exposing live wire and posing a substantial risk of house fire. The spacer track 10 can act as an electrical and thermal insulator between the wires, pipes and conduits and the timber floor joists.

Preferably the spacer elements 14 are made from a resilient, vibration- absorbing material, such as a hardened rubber material. Preferably the first and second track members 12 are also made from the same resilient, vibration-absorbing material. Advantageously the first and second track members 12 and the spacer elements 14 can be manufactured as a single, integrated, moulded component. The resilient, vibration-absorbing material may also be a synthetic material such as, for example, polyurethane. Preferably each spacer element 14 is of circular cross-section and is spaced from adjacent spacer elements 14 at uniform intervals. Advantageously each spacer element 14 is waisted, having a diameter which decreases from a maximum diameter at a top to a minimum diameter at a central waisted region, and then increases again to a maximum diameter at a bottom. This shape enhances the vibration-absorbing properties of the spacer elements 14. The vibration-absorbing properties of the spacer elements 14 helps to markedly reduce the transmission of noise and vibrations through the flooring material to the joists 16 below.

Preferably, each spacer element 14 is extendible and retractable. Advantageously, each spacer element 14 is capable of being rotated to increase or decrease the thickness of the spacer track such that imperfections of the surface underneath, such as unevenness are compensated for, resulting in a substantially level surface. The spacer elements 14 are typically spaced about 40cm apart. Whilst the spacer tracks 10 of the illustrated embodiment are shown in a horizontal orientation in connection with floor and ceiling joists, it will be apparent that the spacer tracks 10 may also be used in a vertical orientation in walls, for example, for dry lining or refacing walls with dampness or imperfections. Figure 8 illustrates the arrangement of a spacer track 10 in a wall of a building.

Typically the spacer tracks 10 are manufactured in standard lengths which can be seated end to end on the joists or cut to size as required.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a second embodiment of the building spacer track 10. The building spacer track 40 is in many respects similar to the building spacer track 10, and comprises first and second elongate track members 42a and 42b arranged substantially parallel and in facing relation to each other. A plurality of spacer elements 44 are provided at spaced intervals between the first and second track members 42a and 42b. The spacer elements 44 are designed to maintain a defined spacing between the track members 42 whilst also permitting free movement of air from one side of the spacer track 40 to the other between the spacer elements 44. The building spacer track 40 is designed for locating between a structural beam and a surface of a building material supported on the beam.

Advantageously, the first elongate track member 42a is made of a suitable material to receive fasteners therein to permit the building material to be fastened to the spacer track 40. In the illustrated embodiment the first elongate track member 42a is sufficiently thick to receive fasteners therein to permit the building material to be fastened to the spacer track 40.

Preferably each spacer element 44 is of rectangular cross-section and is spaced from adjacent , spacer elements 44 at uniform intervals. Advantageously each spacer element 44 is waisted.

Now that a preferred embodiment of the building spacer track has been described in detail, it will be apparent that the described embodiment provides a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following:

(i) It provides free movement of air and facilitates ventilation between structural beams to help eliminate dry rot and musty odours.

(ii) It reduces structural damage to floor joists by eliminating the need to drill holes through the joists for service cables, pipes and conduits. (iii) It improves safety by eliminating direct contact between live electrical wires and wooden joists,

(iv) It reduces transmission of noise and vibration from an upper level to a lower level through the floor joists. It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, the shape, size and spacing of the spacer elements may be substantially different from that shown in the illustrated embodiment. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described.