Structural fastener
AssigneeMag Daddy, LLC
InventorsDaniel James Dickinson, Michael Walter Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A U-shaped clamp to attach or snap a conduit or pipe to a slotted structural member. The U-shaped clamp includes a bottom portion, a first side having a first wing connected to the bottom portion; a second side having a second wing connected to the bottom portion thereby forming a U-shaped structure with the first and second sides. The at least one wing snaps into a strut ledge or a rolled edge of the structural member when in an engaged position. The structural member may be a strut or a receiver. The wings engage and snap into curled ends or lips on sides of the strut and thus may adapt the pipe clamp to the strut. Alternatively, the U-shaped clamp may snap into suitably sized strut ledges or a rolled edges on the structural member.
Claims20
A U-shaped clamp to attach a pipe to a structural member comprising:
- a bottom portion conforming to the curvature of the pipe,
- a first side having a first pair of wings bent from the bottom portion to form a half U;
- a second side having a second pair of wings bent from the bottom portion to form a half U thereby forming a U-shaped structure with the first and second sides;
- and
- a pair of hooks at the end of each wing opposite the bottom portion, the pair of hooks of a first wing in each pair of wings opposing the pair of hooks of the other wing in each pair of wings, wherein the opposing hooks on each side snaps into corresponding strut ledges on opposite sides of the structural member when in an engaged position;
- wherein each hook is cut from the wing and is bent at an angle to the wing such that an end of each hook engages the strut ledge.
A structural member assembly comprising:
- a strut having a strut ledge at each end of the strut;
- a first side connected to a bottom portion;
- a second side connected to the bottom portion, thereby forming a U-shaped structure with the first and second sides;
- a pipe clamp comprising:
- a pipe clamp bottom portion,
- a first side having a first pair of wings bent from the pipe clamp bottom portion to form a half U;
- a second side having a second pair of wings bent from the pipe clamp bottom portion to form a half U;
- and
- a pair of hooks at the end of each wing opposite the bottom portion, the pair of hooks of a first wing in each pair of wings opposing the pair of hooks on the other wing in each pair of wings, wherein the opposing hooks on each side snaps into corresponding strut ledges on opposite sides of the strut;
- wherein the hooks are oriented parallel to the bottom portion, wherein each hook is cut from the wing and is bent at an angle to the wing such that an end of each hook engages the strut ledge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.