Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to piping supports for attaching pipes to support surfaces. It has application in particular in the mounting of water and central heating pipes onto walls.

Background to the Invention

Various supports are known for mounting pipes on walls. These are generally very simple plastic clips or brackets, which are cheap and easy to produce, or metal brackets which in some cases provide a degree of adjustability but are significantly more expensive.

Known plastic domestic pipe fixing systems are designed to hold a maximum of one or two pipes. Known metal fixing brackets are typically designed to hold one pipe. Known plastic clips do not enable pipes to be insulated with lagging that has the recommended thickness without the use if additional plastic spacers, which are only compatible with one size and type of clip.

Metal Munsen rings are expensive and time consuming to assemble and are always singular.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a universal pipe fixing system that enables multiple pipes to be more easily fixed in a manner that also allows them to be lagged in accordance with environmental standards.

Some existing clips enable the use of 9mm insulation. The industry standard is 19mm on any pipes larger than 15mm.

Some embodiments of the present invention aim to overcome some or all of these problems.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a support clip assembly for a pipe, the assembly comprising a base part and a clip part, wherein the clip part comprises a hollow stem and a pipe support clip, the pipe support clip being mounted on the stem, and the base part comprises a post arranged to be received inside the hollow stem, wherein retaining means are provided for fixing the stem to the base part.

The clip may comprise a fixed portion mounted on the stem. The clip may comprise a pair of arms arranged to fit around a pipe to retain the pipe in position. The clip may comprise a closure portion which is movable to enclose a pipe and retain it against the fixed portion.

The closure portion may comprise a retaining portion arranged to engage with the fixed portion to retain the clip in a closed condition, and a release portion rigidly connected to the retaining portion, whereby movement of the release portion can release the retaining portion from the fixed portion.

The retaining means may be a friction-based retaining means, with the post being a friction fit within the stem.

The retaining means may comprise a first formation on the post and a second formation on the stem, wherein the first and second formations are arranged to inter-engage to retain the clip part on the base part.

The first formation may comprise a lug. The second formation may comprise a channel arranged to receive the lug.

The channel may comprise one portion extending along the stem, for example in an axial direction of the stem. The channel may comprise a second portion extending circumferentially around the stem.

A part of the second portion of the channel may extend through the wall of the stem to form an opening therethrough.

One of the formations may comprise a cam surface arranged to engage with the other of the formations to secure the clip part on the base part on rotation of the clip part relative to the base part. The base part may comprise a base on which the post is mounted. The base may have a plurality of fixing apertures therethrough for receiving fixings for fixing the base part to the support surface.

The invention further provides a pipe mounting system comprising a base structure and a plurality of clip parts, wherein the base structure comprise a plurality of base parts, the clip parts each comprise a hollow stem and a pipe support clip, the pipe support clip being mounted on the stem, and the base parts each comprises a post arranged to be received inside the hollow stem of one of the clip parts, wherein retaining means are provided for retaining each of the stems on one of the base parts.

All of the base parts may be of equal size to each other, and the pipe support clips may be of a plurality of different sizes.

Each of the base parts may be arranged to be combined with each of the clip parts to form a support clip assembly which is a clip assembly according to the invention.

The clip assembly may further comprise, in any workable combination, any one or more features of the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, as will now be described.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clip forming part of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a set of base parts onto each of which the clip of Figure 1 can be fitted;

Figure 3 is a further perspective view of the underside of the clip of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is front view of a set of components according to a further embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5a is a side view of two base parts forming part of a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 5b is a side view of the base parts of Figure 5a jointed together to form a base structure; and

Figure 5c is a side view of a spacer element for use with the base parts of Figure 5a.

Description of Embodiments

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 a pipe support clip assembly comprises a clip part 100 and a base part 200. The clip part comprises a stem 102 and a clip 104. The stem 102 is of a generally hollow cylindrical form, having a side wall 106 with a cavity 108 extending through it. The cavity 108 is defined by the interior surface 110 of the side wall 106. The cavity 108 is generally cylindrical. The interior surface 110 of the side wall 106 has channels 112 formed in it.

The base part 200 comprises a base 202, which may be generally flat and rectangular, with a post 204 projecting upwards from the base 202. The base 202 may have a flat underside 206, which may be rectangular, a flat top surface 208, from which the post 204 projects, and two side faces 210 and two end faces 212. The base 202 may have one or more fixing holes 214 formed through it through each of which a fixing can be inserted to fix the base part 200 to a wall or other support surface. For example there may be two fixing holes 214 in the base, located on opposite sides of the post 204.

One or more retaining lugs 216 may project outwards from the side of the post 204. The lugs 216 are spaced from the top surface 208 of the base 202. In the embodiment shown the lugs are about half way up the post 204 between its base 218, and its top end 220. Each of the lugs 216 has an under-surface 222, facing downwards towards the base 202, which engages with the stem 102 of the clip part 100 to retain the clip part 100 on the base as will be described in more detail below.

Figure 2 shows a number of base parts 200 which are formed together as a single moulding. Their bases 202 are joined together in the moulded form to form a single rigid base structure with a plurality of posts 204 projecting up from it. A fracture line 203 is formed between each pair of adjacent bases 202 so that, if required, but the base structure can be broken down into smaller base structures with fewer base parts 200, or into single separate base parts 200 so that the base parts 200 can be used individually. The advantage of forming multiple base parts 200 in a base structure is that in many situations multiple pipes need to be mounted adjacent to each other. The modular, multi-part base structure allows the multiple base parts to be mounted on the wall quickly and easily with a regular spacing which can be repeated along the length of the pipes.

As can best be seen in Figure 3, which is a view from the underside of the stem 102, each of the channels 112 in the interior of the stem 102 comprises a vertical portion 112a which extends upwards from the lower end of the stem 102, and a horizontal portion 112b which extends in the circumferential direction from its first end, which joins the upper end of the vertical channel portion 112a, to its second end which is furthest from the vertical channel portion 112a. The part 114 of the stem wall between the horizontal portion 112b of the channel and the bottom surface 116 of the stem forms a retaining flange 118. The top surface of the retaining flange 118, which is the lower surface of the horizontal channel 112b, forms a circumferentially extending cam surface which is inclined upwards form its first end to its second end. The cam surface engages the undersurface 222 of one of the lugs 216 to retain the clip part 100 on the base part 200 as will be described in more detail below. The bottom surface 116 of the stem may be flat so that the bottom of the stem can be placed on the base 202 or directly against a flat wall.

The side wall 106 of the stem 102 has a rib 123 extending along its outer surface one each side where the vertical channel portion 112b is formed in the inner surface. In the part of the side wall 106 between the two ribs 123, the horizontal part 112b of the channel extends right through the side wall 106 so as to form an opening 152 through the side wall 106 of the stem 102, into which the retaining lugs 216 move at the end of their travel during rotation of the clip part 100 relative to the base part 200.

As shown in Figure 1, the clip 104 comprises a pipe support cradle 130, which is rigidly connected to the top end of the stem 102, and a retaining part 132. The cradle 130 comprises a curved side wall 134 defining a channel 136, having first and second upper edges 135, 137, in which a pipe can be located. The two sides of the side wall 134 form a pair of arms one on either side of the channel 136. The arms are flexible and their upper edges 135, 137 can flex apart to allow a pipe to be pushed between the arms. The channel 136 extends in the horizontal direction and has a central axis X which is perpendicular to the central axis Y of the stem 102. The retaining part 132 also comprises a curved side wall 138 having first and second straight edges 140, 142 and is flexibly joined along the first 140 of those edges to the first upper edge 135 of the cradle 130, for example by means of a live hinge 144. The second straight edge 142 of the retaining part has a groove 143 extending along it, in this case in the inner surface, leaving a narrowed flex portion 145 of the clip next to the groove 143. A releasable retaining mechanism comprise a retaining lip 146 and release tab 150 which are formed along the second straight edge 142, and supported on the flex portion 145. The retaining lip 146 is arranged to engage releasably with a similar lip 148 on the second straight edge 137 of the cradle so as to hold the retaining part 132 in a closed position in which it covers the top of the channel 136 to retain a pipe in the channel. The release tab 150 projects outwards from the retaining lip 146 and is connected to the lip 146. The lip 146 and the release tab 150 are rigidly joined so that the release tab 150 can be pushed to release the lip 146 on the retaining part from the lip 148 on the cradle thereby to open the clip and release the pipe from it.

In a modification to this embodiment the retaining part 132 can be omitted, and the pipe be held purely by the opposed flexible sides walls of the support cradle 130.

A hole 154 is formed in the top end of the stem 102 through the pipe support cradle 130. The hole 154 is centrally aligned, on the axis X of the stem 102. It enables a fixing to be inserted through the bottom of the cradle 130 down through the stem 102.

The clip part 100 can be formed as a single moulding of plastics material.

In use, to mount a pipe on a wall or other supporting surface, a number of bases 200 are fixed to the wall, for example using screws inserted through the fixing holes 214. Each of the base parts 200 can be accurately located and then held in position, for example using the post 204, while the fixings are inserted. A clip part 100 can then be mounted on each of the base parts. This is done by placing the stem 102 over the post, with the vertical channel portions 112a aligned with the lugs 216. The clip part can then be pushed down onto the post until the top surface of the lugs 216 engages the top surface of the channel 112. Then the clip part is rotated so that the lugs 216 move into the horizontal channel parts 112b. The bottom surface of the horizontal channel portion 112b may be inclined so that it rises slightly upwards from its first end, nearest the vertical channel section 112a, to its second end furthers from the vertical channel section 112a. It therefore can act as a cam surface causing the clip part 100 to be pulled downwards against the base 202 of the base part 200 as it is rotated. When the lugs 216 reach the second end of the horizontal channel 112b, they reach the end wall of that channel to stop the rotation and locate the clip part 100 rotationally so that it is correctly aligned relative to the base part 200.

The clip part 100 can also be used without the base part 200. To do this the bottom surface 116 of the stem 102 is place directly onto the support surface, the clip is opened giving access to the hole 154 in the bottom of the pipe cradle 130, and a screw or other fixing is inserted through the hole 154 down through the stem 102 and into the support surface.

It will be appreciated that in the description of the embodiments shown, the surface 116 which contacts the base 202 is referred to as the bottom and the clip part, and the retaining part 132 of the clip is referred to as the top. The directions upwards and downwards are used accordingly, irrespective of the orientation of the clip in use.

Referring to Figure 4, a set of clips may comprise a number of different sized clip parts 102 each having the cavity 108 inside it stem, and the dimensions of the channels 112, of the same dimensions, so that the different sized clip parts can be mounted on the same sized base parts 200. A pipe mounting system can therefore be provided which comprises a number of multi-part base structures each having a plurality of base parts formed as an integral moulding, and a number of clip parts for a variety of pipe sizes, all of which fit on the single-sized posts of the base parts. For example standard pipe sized are 15mm, 22mm and 28mm diameter. The system may therefore comprise three different sizes of clip part arranged to support those three sizes of pipe.

The height of the stem 102 may be chosen so as to allow for insulation to be placed around the pipe when it is mounted in the clips. For example the height of the clip part measured from the bottom surface of the stem to the central axis X of the clip, may be at least 10mm greater than the radius of the pipe supporting channel 136. This means that the pipe will be supported at least 10mm form the support surface.

It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made to the embodiment shown.

For example, the channels 112 may comprise just the vertical portion 112a, and may have a deeper recess, or opening provided at the top end of the vertical channel portions 112a, so that the lug can snap into the recess or opening to retain the clip part on the base part.

The skilled person will appreciate that the number and dimensions of the lugs 216 and the retaining formations on the stem can be varied so as to provide alternative methods of securing the clip part to the base part, such as snap fit connections, screw connections, or other bayonet type connections.

In further embodiments the lugs may be formed on the interior of the stem, and the retaining formations formed on the post of the base part.

Referring to Figures 5a and 5b, rather than being moulded together as in the arrangement of Figure 2, the base parts 300 may be arranged with interlocking formations 303 which are arranged to interlock to connect two or more of the base parts 300 together. For example each of the base parts 300 may comprise a rectangular base 302 with a post 304 corresponding to that in Figure 2 projecting upwards from it. Interlocking formations 303 may be formed on opposite ends of the base 302. For example the interlocking formations may comprise, at one end of the base 302, an upwardly facing channel 320 with an outer wall 322 between the channel 320 and the end of the base 302, and at the other end of the base 302, a downwardly facing channel 324 with an outer wall 326 between the channel 324 and the end of the base 302. The upwardly facing channel 320 may taper inwards towards its top, and the outer wall 322 next to it may taper outwards towards its top. The downwardly facing channel 324 may taper inwards towards its bottom, and the outer wall 326 next to it may taper outwards towards its bottom. The outer wall of one base can therefore be slid into the channel of another base, and the tapered shape of the walls and channels retain the two bases 302 together so that they will only separate easily by reversing the sliding by which they were connected together.

In order to provide flexibility in the spacing of the clips, two or more different bases 300 may be provided, with the length of the base 302, i.e. the distance between the interlocking formations 300, being different for the different bases. Alternatively, or in addition, referring to Figure 5c, the system may further comprise spacer elements 400 arranged to fit between adjacent bases to alter the spacing between the posts 304. Each spacer element 400 may be rectangular in form with an interlocking formation at each end, corresponding to the base 302, but with no post on it. The length of the spacer element 400, i.e. the distance between its two interlocking formations, can be selected to provide any desired spacing between the posts 304 on adjacent bases 300 between which it is fitted.