Pipe joints or couplings – With support – Static building construction
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-04-10
Arola, Dave W. (Department: 3627)
Pipe joints or couplings
With support
Static building construction
C285S331000, C285S398000, C285S404000, C285S423000, C285S424000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213522
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of rigid fibrous glass ducts to supply and return air for residential and commercial heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems is well known. The popularity of such duct systems has increased significantly during the past 25 years with millions of feet of fibrous glass duct work presently in operation in schools, shopping centers, office buildings, apartments, and residences throughout the United States. When compared to a traditional metal duct system, the use of a fibrous glass duct system can improve the overall quality of the indoor environment through its efficient thermal and acoustical properties, and its ability to virtually eliminate condensation problems. Moreover, a fiber glass duct system is generally less expensive to install than an insulated and sealed wrapped or lined sheet metal system because of faster and easier fabrication and installation. Fiber glass duct systems are also less weight and therefore easier to handle as compared to sheet metal systems.
Rigid fibrous glass ducts are fabricated from sheets of resin bonded inorganic glass fibers. Typically, one major surface of the sheet (hereinafter called duct board) includes a facing which serves as a finish and an air barrier/vapor retarder. The facing is typically a metal foil or a reinforced foil laminate. This faced surface ultimately serves as the outside surface of the assembled duct system.
Frequently, the other major surface of the duct board is coated or faced with a material to improve resistance to fabrication and job site installation damage and to provide the airstream surface of the assembled duct system with an abrasion resistant surface which may be cleaned with commonly available duct cleaning equipment. Duct board can vary in thickness, but is commonly supplied in 1 inch and 1½ inch configurations.
The duct boards are fabricated by folding into square, rectangular, or multi-sided duct sections for use in both residential and commercial heating, ventilating, and air conditioning duct systems. The board is grooved at the fold lines and formed into duct sections, which are then stapled and sealed at the longitudinal joint. Sections are joined in the same way. Frequently, the duct boards are supplied with factory molded male and female shiplap edges to ensure tight and strong fabricated joints. In one commercially available configuration, the outside reinforced foil laminate air barrier extends over the full width of the male shiplap edges to serve as a sealing or stapling flap during fabrication. Duct boards are also commercially available without the shiplap edges in a butt edge configuration. Sealing of seams and joints is accomplished through the use of appropriate tapes. Such tapes include pressure-sensitive aluminum foil tapes, heat-activated aluminum foil/scrim tapes, and mastic and glass fabric tape systems.
Duct systems are frequently suspended from ceiling joists or rafters. Hangers and supports for the duct work are generally fabricated from metal channels, straps, rods and/or wires.
While the use of fibrous glass duct boards to form duct systems has resulted in significant improvements in the fabrication, installation and performance of residential and commercial air handling systems, further improvement would be beneficial. For instance, it would be beneficial if there were a device which would facilitate and improve the method of joining adjacent sections of duct work and result in stronger joints. It would also be beneficial if such a device could provide positive mechanical securement beyond that which is provided by the practice of taping to secure adjacent sections of duct work in place. Moreover, it would be beneficial if such a device could also be used to facilitate the hanging of the duct system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to devices for securing adjacent segments of fiber glass duct work and the like and to a system utilizing one or more of said devices to secure segments of duct work. One embodiment of one such device comprises a corner member having two legs at right angles relative to each other. Each of said legs includes two substantially parallel channels which face in opposite directions in order to accommodate portions of the opposed edges of adjacent segments of duct work formed from folding individual pieces of duct board. One embodiment is specifically designed to accommodate duct work formed with male and female shiplap edges. Another embodiment is designed to accommodate duct work formed with a butt edge configuration. The channels in either embodiment may additionally include one or more teeth-like projections in order to penetrate or otherwise mechanically hold or grip the duct board in a secure manner. Furthermore, the devices may include in the body thereof a grommet, hole, slot, hook, loop or the like in order to accommodate a strap, rod or wire when installing the duct work in a suspended manner from ceiling joists or rafters. In a further embodiment, one or more holes are located in the channels in order to accommodate a screw or similar securing means to provide additional strength once the duct work is assembled. In another embodiment, the device comprises a lineal member in which are disposed substantially parallel and oppositely facing adjacent channels to accommodate portions of the opposed edges of adjacent segments of the duct work. Devices falling within the scope of the invention, can be made of metal or plastic—either thermoplastic or thermoset, or another suitable material.
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Cuthbertson Thomas A.
Jacobson David L.
Mankell Kurt O.
Storey Robert W.
Toas Murray S.
Arola Dave W.
Certain-Teed Corporation
Duane Morris & Heckscher LLP
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