Abstract:
A one-piece threaded rod cable support including a cable-holding portion and two arms extending in a perpendicular plane from the cable-holding portion. The arms include claw-shaped ends to accommodate and snap-fittingly engage a rod. Upon engagement of the arms with the rod, an integral brace, provided on the exterior of the cable-holding portion between the two arms, is deflected inwardly toward the cable-holding portion. Deflection of the brace puts pressure on the interior sides of the claw-shaped ends, thereby bracing the cable support on the rod and providing resistance to disengagement caused by loading or bending of the cable-holding portion. A snap-lock arrangement may be provided on the cable-holding portion to allow easy opening and closing of the ring.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to cable supports and specifically to an improved cable support for attachment to a rod. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The proliferation of computers, fax machines, and telecommunication networks have led to an increase in the amount of cabling installed in residential and commercial buildings. To simplify and speed up installation time, it is common to connect cables to existing and convenient structures within the buildings. Many commercial buildings have existing structural support beams that run throughout the building. As the beams are typically overhead, it is usually preferable to suspend the cables from them. 
     Many manufacturers produce beam clamps for the purpose of hanging items from beams. Several types of beam clamps are intended for suspending a vertical rod from the beam. A series of vertical rods may then be suspended from the beam to create a path for connecting ductwork, conduit, cables, etc. Cable supports may then be connected to the vertical rods for the purpose of running cables along the beams. In many instances, vertical rods may have previously been clamped to beams for the purpose of suspending ductwork or conduit. In these situations, cable supports may be connected to the existing vertical rods that are in place. 
     One type of cable support that has been proposed for suspending cables from vertical rods is that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,076 (the &#39;076 patent) to Bodin entitled “Support Structure Including a Snap Nut. The cable support of the &#39;076 patent is intended for use with threaded rods and includes a snap nut with ears. The snap nut has a central bore and a longitudinal slot into the bore that allows it to be snapped onto a threaded rod. The interior of the bore is threaded to allow repositioning of the snap nut after it is snapped onto the threaded rod. A separate hook member, adapted to straddle the threaded rod and engage the top of the snap nut including the ears, is then placed above the snap nut and lowered until notches in the hook member engage the ears of the snap nut. The hook member of the &#39;076 patent is U-shaped to provide an opening to accept cables. 
     The snap nut and hook member of the &#39;076 patent, although useful for suspending cables from a threaded vertical rod, have some limitations. One limitation is the requirement that the snap nut and hook be used with a threaded rod. In many existing buildings, ductwork and the like may be suspended by smooth rods, making it desirable to use the available smooth rods rather than installing threaded rods. In this situation, the snap nut and hook member of the &#39;076 patent would not be useful. 
     A second limitation is the fact that the &#39;076 patent provides a wide opening on the open end of the U-shaped hook member. This necessitates the use of a cable tie to close the top of the U-shaped hook member to hold the cables securely. 
     An additional limitation of the snap nut and hook member of the &#39;076 patent is the fact that three separate parts, including the snap nut, hook member, and cable tie, must be manufactured and utilized to create an effective cable support for use with a vertical threaded rod. 
     Accordingly, it should be understood that what is needed is a one-piece cable support that may be used with both threaded and smooth rods and secures inserted cables without the use of separate cable ties. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention comprises a one-piece rod cable support including a cable-holding portion and two arms extending in a perpendicular plane from the cable-holding portion. The arms include claw-shaped ends to accommodate and snap-fittingly engage an anchored rod. Upon engagement of the arms with the rod, a serrated brace, provided on the exterior of the cable-holding portion between the two arms, is deflected inwardly toward the cable-holding opening. Deflection of the brace puts pressure on the interior sides of the claw-shaped ends, thereby bracing the cable support on the threaded rod and providing resistance to disengagement caused by loading or bending of the cable-holding portion. After being snapped on the rod, the serrated portion of the brace meshes with the threads of the rod, helping to stabilize the cable support with respect to the rod and preventing unwanted movement axially along the rod. A snap-lock arrangement is provided on the cable-holding portion to allow easy opening and closing of the ring. When snapped closed, the snap-lock arrangement secures the cables within the cable-holding portion and resists opening without human intervention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of the one-piece rod cable support of the present invention with the cable-holding portion in an open configuration. 
     FIG. 2 is a detailed drawing of one of the arms of the rod cable support of FIG. 1 including the claw-shaped end. 
     FIG.3 is a detailed drawing of the brace portion of the rod cable support of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rod cable support of FIG. 1 with the cable-holding portion in an open configuration. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rod cable support of FIG. 1 with cables installed in the cable-holding portion and the cable-holding portion closed. 
     Index to Reference Numerals in Drawings 
       10  rod cable support 
       12  cable-holding portion 
       14   a  top arm 
       14   b  bottom arm 
       16   a  top claw-shaped end 
       16   b  bottom claw-shaped end 
       18   a  circular bore (top arm) 
       18   b  circular bore (bottom arm) 
       20   a  slot (top arm) 
       20   b  slot (bottom arm) 
       22  brace 
       24  end (of cable-holding portion) 
       26  rear side of top arm 
       28  head extension 
       30  latch 
       32  nose portion 
       34  latch-receiving pocket 
       36  lip 
       38  inner portion (of head extension) 
       40  outer portion (of head extension) 
       42  nub 
       44  bottom surface (of head extension) 
       46  top surface (of head extension) 
       48  adjacent inner surface (of cable-holding portion) 
       50   a  outer periphery (of top arm) 
       52  bundle of cables 
       54  threaded rod 
       56  serrations 
       58  axis 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a rod cable support as shown in the perspective view of the preferred embodiment in FIG.  4  and designated by reference numeral  10 . The rod cable support  10  is of one-piece construction, typically molded of a durable polymeric material such as nylon. The cable support consists of a cable-holding portion  12  with two arms  14   a ,  14   b  extending from the cable-holding portion  12 , each arm in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the cable-holding portion  12 . Each arm  14   a ,  14   b  includes a claw shaped end  16   a ,  16   b  in alignment with each other. The claw-shaped ends  16   a ,  16   b  consist of a circular bore  18   a ,  18   b  and a slot  20   a ,  20   b  that is wider at the periphery of each arm than at the bore. The cable-holding portion  12  includes an integral brace  22  on its outer edge between the two arms  14   a ,  14   b  and terminates in an end  24  near the top arm  14   a . With the rod cable support  10  in its unbiased position, as shown in FIG. 4, the integral brace  22  extends typically to the central axis  58  through the two circular bores  18   a ,  18   b . As a consequence of the thinness of the cable-holding portion  12  and its polymeric construction, the end  24  may easily be grasped and pulled away from the arms  14   a ,  14   b  to greatly open the cable-holding portion  12  for the purposes of inserting cable therein. Extending from the rear side  26  of the top arm  14   a  is a head extension  28 . The head extension  28  and the end of the cable-holding portion  12  include a snap-lock arrangement that allows the end  24  of the cable-holding portion  12  to be snapped into the head extension  28 . This snap-lock arrangement includes a latch  30  and nose portion  32  on the end  24  of the cable-holding portion  12  and a latch-receiving pocket  34  on the head extension  28 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a plan view of the preferred embodiment, further details of the snap-lock arrangement are shown. The end  24  of the cable-holding portion  12  includes the latch  30 , nose portion  32  integral with the latch  30 , and a lip  36  integral with the nose portion  32 . The head extension  28  can be described as having two portions on either side of the latch-receiving pocket  34  (shown in dashed lines), although both are integral with the arms  14   a  and  14   b , including an inner portion  38  on the side of the latch-receiving pocket  34  toward the arms  14   a ,  14   b  and an outer portion  40  on the side toward the end  24  of the cable-holding portion  12 . Outer portion  40  includes an integral nub  42  extending from the bottom surface  44  of the head extension  28 . To snap the rod cable support  10  together, the end  24  of the cable-holding portion  12  is lifted and the nose portion  32  including the integral lip  36  are placed into the latch-receiving pocket  34 . The latch-receiving pocket  34  is narrower at the bottom surface  44  of the head extension  28  than the top surface  46 . As the nose portion  32  and integral lip  36  are pushed further into the latch-receiving pocket  34 , they are forced closer to the inner portion  38  of the head extension  28  by the narrowing pocket  34 . Eventually the bottom surface  44  of the head extension  28  with the extending nub  42  are forced between the lip  36  and the adjacent inner surface  48  of the cable-holding portion  12  and cause the nose portion  32  and lip  36  to be forced away from the adjacent inner surface  48 . When the nose portion  32  and lip  36  clear the bottom surface  44  of the head extension  28 , the nose portion  32  and integral lip  36  snap back into their unbiased shape as a result of the resilient polymeric material of construction. As a result, the cable-holding portion  12  is snap locked into the latch-receiving pocket  34  on the head extension  28  and resists removal without a conscious effort to do so. As shown in the normally open configuration of the rod cable support  10  depicted in FIG. 1, the integral brace  22  extends as far as the central axis  58  common to circular bores  18   a  and  18   b.    
     Referring to FIG. 2, a detailed drawing of the top arm  14   a  of the rod cable support is shown. As previously mentioned, the top claw-shaped end  16   a  consists of the circular bore  18   a  and the slot  20   a . The arms  14   a ,  14   b  may be sized to accommodate any of several existing rod diameters. For a ⅜″ rod (not shown in FIG.  2 ), for example, the circular bore  1   8 a is typically ⅜″ diameter. As shown in FIG. 2, the slot  20   a  is wider on the outer periphery of the arm  50   a  than at the circular bore  18   a . As the arm  14   a  is pressed against a rod (not shown in FIG.  2 ), the rod cable support, being constructed of resilient polymeric material, enables the claw-shaped end  16   a  to widen until the rod snaps into it. The arm then holds the rod securely. Although the reference numerals used in FIG. 2 refer to the top arm, the bottom arm exhibits the same arrangement. 
     A detailed drawing of the brace  22  is provided in FIG.  3 . As shown in the figure, the brace  22  preferably includes serrations  56 . If the rod cable support is attached to a threaded rod, the serrations provide a better grip that intermeshes with the threads on the rod (not shown in FIG.  3 ), thereby preventing the cable support from undesired sliding movements axially along the rod. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, a perspective view is shown of the rod cable support  10  with a bundle of cables  52  installed in the cable-holding portion  12  and the snap-lock arrangement closed. The rod cable support  10  has been snapped onto a threaded rod  54  by the top  14   a  and bottom  14   b  arms. The threaded rod  54  is held in the circular bores  18   a ,  18   b  of the top  14   a  and bottom  14   b  arms. As previously mentioned, when the rod cable support  10  is in its open, unbiased configuration, the integral brace  22  on the outer edge of the cable-holding portion  12  extends typically to the axis between the two circular bores  18   a ,  18   b . In the closed configuration of the rod cable support  10 , as shown in FIG. 5, the brace  22  applies pressure to the rod  54 , thereby resisting any efforts to slide the cable support  10  axially along the rod  54  or to twist it radially around the rod. 
     Accordingly, as described in the detailed description above, the rod cable support of the present invention has the advantage of being of one-piece construction, can be used with threaded or smooth rods, and provides for complete closure around cables without the use of cable ties. As a consequence of the positive locking action of the claw-shaped ends and brace upon an anchored rod and the snap-lock arrangement upon an inserted cable bundle, the rod cable support of the present invention can actually be used in conjunction with a rod anchored in any orientation, including horizontal. This is an advantage over existing rod cable supports with U-shaped hook members, as in an orientation other than vertical the cables tend to fall out of the U-shaped opening and must rapidly be secured with a cable tie to secure the cables. 
     Although the description above contains many specific descriptions and proposed sizes, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. 
     Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.