Abstract:
A metal plate ( 11 ) for protecting plumbing pipes and plastic electrical conduits ( 13 ) from being pierced by a nail or screw when the wall covering is attached. Said plate is a generally flat rectangular metal plate ( 11 ) having metal tabs ( 12 ) for aligning said plate on concrete foundation form boards ( 10 ) and metal prongs ( 13 ) which act as nails to hold said plate in position until concrete ( 15 ) is poured. The concrete ( 15 ) flows around the concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) where said concrete ( 15 ) bonds thereby locking said plate ( 11 ) permanently in place.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not applicable.  
         BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to metal protector plates used in building construction, specifically to protect plumbing pipes and electrical plastic conduits from being punctured by nails or screws when the wall covering is attached to the framing members.  
         BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART  
         [0003]    During the construction of buildings it is necessary to cut into the framing members to run wiring and plumbing. Often times the resulting wires or pipes are close to the surface of the framing member to which the wall covering is to be applied and are in danger of being pierced by a nail or screw as said covering is attached. When this occurs electrical shorts, broken wires or leaks in pipes can occur. These dangerous conditions are difficult to locate and repair because the wall covering must be removed from the area, the condition repaired and wall covering replaced. These occurrences are both time-consuming and expensive for the builder. Inventors have created several types of metal protector plates to protect wiring and plumbing from being penetrated by a nail or screw while attaching the wall covering. These protection plates are of two general types.  
           [0004]    1. A bent piece metal wedges into the slot cut into the framing member through which the wire or pipe is laid. Examples of this type are U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,646 to Marquardt (1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,681 to Searer et al. (1972).  
           [0005]    2. A rectangular flat piece of steel with metal prongs protruding near the edges and perpendicular to the plates face act as nails to secure the plate over the framing member until the wall covering is attached. An example of this design is U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,869 to Jureit (1966).  
           [0006]    Several patents have been issued along the designs listed above. These designs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,787,804 and 1,793,341 to Thurman et al. (1931), U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,119 to Seckerson (1965), U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,797 to Hochstetler (1970), U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,413 to Baillie (1974), U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,205 to Ligda (1977), U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,094 to Teller et al. (1986) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,689 to Everman et al. (1987),  
           [0007]    All of these designs are set in place after the framing members are erected and the wiring and plumbing installed. A problem is encountered on cement slab foundations when plastic wiring conduits and plumbing pipes emerge from the ground through the slab and into a wall. In these situations the pipe is installed prior to the cement pour and there is no framing member to nail the protector plate to. The current practice is to install the protector plate after the framing members are in place.  
           [0008]    However, this is often overlooked by the framer because it is traditionally the plumbers or electricians responsibility to install the protector plate; a task he could not complete because at the time the pipe was installed there was no framing member to nail the protector plate to. As a result of this oversight, plastic conduits and pipes are often pierced when the wall covering is nailed or screwed on.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0009]    In accordance with the present invention a flat metal plate comprises pointed teeth struck from said plate, alignment tabs struck from said plate and a concrete gripping means struck out of the opposite face of said metal plate.  
           [0010]    Objects and Advantages  
           [0011]    The objects and advantages of my patent are:  
           [0012]    a) to provide a means of attaching a protector plate to concrete foundation boards prior to the concrete pour.  
           [0013]    b) to provide alignment tabs for the protector plate such that said plate will properly position itself to the concrete form boards.  
           [0014]    c) to provide a protector plate gripping means to the concrete when it is poured so that said plate is held securely in place protecting the plastic conduit or pipe from nail or screw penetration when the wall covering is attached.  
           [0015]    d) To provide a means for the electrical or plumbing contractor to install the protector plate when pipe is set in place prior to the cement foundation pour.  
           [0016]    e) To provide a means for the protector plate to be in place when the building inspector inspects the pipes prior to the cement foundation pour.  
           [0017]    Accordingly, this metal protector plate can be quickly and accurately positioned so that it is centered on the pipe it is to protect and struck with a hammer to drive the pointed plate prongs into the form boards thus holding said plate in position until the concrete is poured. The electrician or plumber can easily do this task at the same the pipes to be protected are installed. 
       
    
    
     DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 shows a view of the metal protector plate of FIGS. 2, 3 and  4 .  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 shows the protector plate attached to the concrete form boards prior to the concrete pour.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is another perspective of FIG. 2.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 shows the protector plate bonded to the finished cement slab with framing member in place protecting a pipe. 
     
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS  
       [0022]    [0022]                                                       10 foundation form-boards   11 protector plate           12 positioning tabs   13 conduit or pipe           14 concrete gripping prongs   15 concrete foundation           16 framing member   18 sharp prongs           20 rectangular hole   22 triangular hole           24 hole in plate                        
       DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The flat metal plate ( 11 ) has positioning tabs ( 12 ) punched out perpendicular to said plate leaving rectangular holes ( 20 ) the same size and dimension as the tabs ( 12 ).  
         [0024]    Sharp prongs ( 18 ) are punched out perpendicular to plate ( 11 ) in the same direction as positioning tabs ( 12 ) leaving triangular holes ( 22 ) the same size and dimension as said sharp prong ( 18 ). Concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) are punched to the opposite face of plate ( 11 ) from sharp prongs ( 18 ) leaving holes ( 24 ) in plate ( 11 ). FIG. 2 shows protector plate ( 11 ) as it is installed on foundation form-boards ( 10 ) to protect pipe ( 13 ). FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the installed protector plate ( 11 ). Positioning tabs ( 12 ) orient the protector plate ( 11 ) at the correct height so that sharp prongs ( 18 ) can be driven into form-board ( 10 ) thereby securing said plate ( 11 ). In addition, positioning tab ( 12 ) insures protector plate ( 11 ) is mounted high enough to completely protect pipe ( 13 ) from nail or screw penetration.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is a view of protector plate ( 11 ) after the concrete foundation ( 15 ) is poured and the form-boards ( 10 ) striped off. Triangular concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) are imbedded in the cured concrete to firmly secure plate ( 11 ) in the proper location to protect pipe ( 13 ) from nail or screw penetration as the wall covering is attached to framing member ( 16 ). Positioning tabs ( 12 ) and sharp prongs ( 18 ) can be bent over with a hammer blow when the wall covering is installed.  
         [0026]    Alternative Embodiments  
         [0027]    Concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) and sharp prongs ( 18 ) have various possibilities as to their shape and size,  
         [0028]    Any geometric shape and size that will permanently lock plate ( 11 ) to the concrete will work. For example, said concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) can be rectangular and bent at an angle to plate ( 11 ) less then 90 degrees to achieve the same mechanical lock to the concrete foundation ( 15 ). Sharp prongs ( 18 ) can also have any geometric shape that will allow them to be easily driven into foundation form-boards ( 10 ). For example, a sharp prong such that the point is located on the centerline along the length of said prong will adequately attach the plate to the foundation form-boards.  
         [0029]    Advantages  
         [0030]    From the above description, a number of advantages of my plumbing and conduit protector plate are evident:  
         [0031]    (a) The plumber or electrician can attach the protector plate in place at the same time the pipe or conduit is installed. This procedure insures the plate will be installed by the responsible party and save costly labor time because a return trip to the jobsite to install the plate is unnecessary.  
         [0032]    (b) The building superintendent or inspector can check for the protector plate prior to the concrete being poured. If it is not in place he will require it to be installed before the concrete is poured.  
         [0033]    (c) The building framers are not concerned with installing the protector plate because it is already in place.  
         [0034]    (d) The plumber or electrician does not need to worry about the costly repairs necessary if his pipes are pierced by a nail or screw because he was able to install the plate at the same time the pipes were installed.  
         [0035]    Operation—FIGS. 1, 2,  3 ,  4   
         [0036]    When pipe ( 13 ) has been installed, protector plate positioning tabs ( 12 ) are set on top of foundation form-board ( 10 ) with sharp prongs ( 18 ) against said form-board ( 10 ). When protector plate ( 11 ) is centered on the pipe to be protected, a hammer blow to said plate ( 11 ) opposite sharp prongs ( 18 ), drives said prongs into form-board ( 10 ) thus securing the plate in the correct position until concrete ( 15 ) is poured.  
         [0037]    When concrete ( 15 ) has been poured and cured, concrete gripping prongs ( 14 ) have permanently attached the protector plate (II) to said foundation concrete ( 15 ). As the foundation form-boards ( 10 ) are stripped off, the short sharp prongs ( 18 ) pull out of the wood board. Protector plate ( 11 ) is retained correctly positioned in the cement and protecting pipe ( 13 ). The exposed protruding sharp prongs ( 18 ) and positioning tabs ( 12 ) are struck with a hammer to bend them flush with the protector plate ( 11 ). Framing members ( 16 ) can then be installed followed by the wall covering. Any nails or screws penetrating the wall covering and striking protector plate ( 11 ) will bend over and can be easily removed without damage to pipe ( 13 ).  
         [0038]    Conclusion  
         [0039]    Accordingly, the reader will see that the application of the plumbing and plastic conduit protector plate will save building contractors costly time and expenses involved in repairs where a nail or screw has pierced a pipe on a buildings outer wall. This plate can be installed quickly and easily prior to the foundation concrete being poured. When the concrete has hardened, the plate is permanently attached to the foundation and protects the pipe from damage by a nail or screw as the wall covering is applied.