Abstract:
The present invention provides for a protector plate that can be readily secured to furring strips in a manner that reduces and/or eliminates any bowing or deflection of the furring strip during installation. This protector plate is to be located on the furring strip so that its face panel is positioned to protect any service component located there behind from nails, screws or other anchors that may be subsequently driven into the wall. The protector plate contains a front panel having a flange secured thereto with prongs, tabs, sawteeth or other securing assembly jutting or extending from this flange. This securing assembly is designed to penetrate the furring strip along its stronger axis.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to protector plates used to protect wires and other service components located within walls from accidental damage during construction or renovation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Protector plates are used quite extensively to protect devices hidden behind wall surfaces. A common utilization is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,417. In summary, electrical, plumbing and other services employ components that are routinely routed through, along or within the walls of a structure. Once the wall-board or other wall covering is installed, the location of these services is no longer apparent and thus it is possible that a nail, screw or other support or anchor driven into the wall covering my impinge upon one of these service components. In some cases, the damage done is immediate; in other situations, the damage incurred will only manifest itself over time. In any event, the repair of such service component will be costly. Hence it has become a common practice to use inexpensive protector plates during the construction of these walls at locations where such damage is likely to occur. 
     One very common design for such protector plates is a generally flat rectangular strip of metal having a thickness sufficient enough to resist nails, screws and the like. One example of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,869 to Jureit. This plate is configured with one or more prongs or tabs extending from this flat strip which are designed to be embedded into the support studs of the wall. This plate is secured to the front of the support stud to cover or protect the service component positioned therebehind. The wall board or covering is then installed over both the support stud and protector plate such that any subsequent drywall screw, nail or other fastener or anchor will not inadvertently nick, pierce or damage such service component. Because the prongs or tabs are generally punched out of the plate, there thus exist small openings in the plate through which a nail or screw might penetrate thereby compromising the protection desired. 
     The above flat planar protector plates are of the type that mount flush against the front surface of the support stud, other variations also exist that fit within notches cut into these support studs. Some of these other designs are ‘J’ shaped (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,815 and 3,350,501) while others are more ‘boxy’ in appearance (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,211,824 and 4,924,646). 
     In support studs, each of these designs probably perform satisfactorily, however in walls employing furring strips (the generally horizontal supports extending between support studs), these devices are not as suitable. This is because these furring strips are smaller in size and thus do not have the same strength or stiffness as the support studs. Also, smaller furring strips cannot readily accommodate notches cut therein while still maintaining their span strength. Furthermore, furring strips have less tolerance for devices driven into their front surface due to this being along their weaker axis. Driving into the front surface of these furring strips causes them to deflect or bow inwardly which often results in breakage. If the furring strip is not broken, then this deflection or bowing action may cause their attachment to the support stud to come loose or weaken. In either event, use of the above types of protector plates on furring strips is fraught with problems. 
     Additionally, the situation may arise where the depth of the furring strip and/or the location of the service component within the wall necessitates the protection of more surface area than one such typical protector plate can provide. In such situations, the use of two or more such plates will be needed. Alternatively, the selected protector plate may be too large for its intended purpose, thus necessitating that it be cut or trimmed in the field. 
     It is thus an object of this invention to provide a protector plate that can perform equally well on both furring strips and support studs. It is another object of this invention to provide a means of securing the protector plate in a manner that utilizes a stronger axis of the furring strip so as to reduce or eliminate any breakage, deflection or bowing. Another object of this invention is to provide a protector plate that does not require any notching or cutting of its support for use or installation. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a protector plate whose size can be adjusted in order to accommodate those situations where less protective cover is desired. It is also an object of this invention to provide a single protector plate that can protect the entire front of typical furring strips. Still another objection of this invention is to provide a protector plate design that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use and install. 
     These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become obvious upon further review. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention pertains to a protector plate that is configured for use on furring strips as well as on support studs. It is designed to provide protection for the service component or components located therebehind from damage that may result when nails, screws, fasteners, anchors and the like are subsequently driven into the wall surface. This invention is also designed so that the manner of securement of the protector plate to the furring strip occurs in a direction of higher strength for the furring strip in order to reduce or eliminate any bowing or deflection of the furring strip that might otherwise occur. 
     In particular, this invention pertains to a protector plate having a front plate designed to abut the front surface of a furring strip or support member. A shorter flange extends from this front plate in a direction generally transverse to the front plate. This flange is designed to abut an adjacent side surface of the support member. One or more prongs project from this flange in a direction generally parallel to the front plate for penetration into the side surface of the support member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a back perspective view of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of some of the applications of the invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the alternate embodiment shown in FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown protector plate  10  having a generally rectangular front panel  12  with one or more flanges  14  extending therefrom. The space or area that is defined between front panel  12  and flange  14  is support member receiving area  16 . It is within this area  16  that support member  18  (FIG. 6) is to be located. Obviously, protector plate  10  is driven into a side surface of support member  18  so that front panel  12  can be positioned to protect whatever service components may lay therebehind. 
     Protector plate  10  is made of a thin material yet this material should be strong enough to resist the penetration of nails, screws, fasteners, anchors and the like (not shown) therethrough. While it may still be possible to drill, drive or screw through protector plate  10 , the effort required should be noticeably different from that normally required for the underlying material in order to alert the installer that service components are nearby. Hence, generally protector plate  10  is made of metal, but other materials may also be suitable for this purpose. 
     In the embodiment shown, front panel  12  is illustrated as being planar. However, it is anticipated that in other versions, there may be embossments, tabs or stand-offs projecting from front panel  12 . Also, while the embodiment shown illustrates a plurality of score lines  20  cut into front panel  12 , other embodiments may only involve a single score line  20  or they may encompass one or more knock-outs or openings therein. In the illustrated version, score lines  20  aid the user in either bending front panel  12  as desired, or detaching sections thereof. Ideally, score lines  20  in front panel  12  would be positioned so that they corresponded or align with the edges or corners of the support upon which protector plate  10  is to be mounted. 
     Whatever the configuration of front panel  12  (i.e. whether or not it includes projections or cut-aways.), the back surface  22  (or portions thereof) of front panel  12  is designed to abut the front surface of its corresponding support member  18 . In FIG. 6, support member  18  is shown as being either furring strip  24  or upright stud  26 . When protector plate  10  is secured to furring strip  24 , it is installed in a vertical direction; however, when secured to stud  26 , protector plate is rotated  90  degrees and installed in a horizontal direction. 
     In the embodiment shown, front panel  12  has edge  28  from which one or more flanges  14  extend. Edge  28  is generally along one of the shorter perimeter edges of rectangular front panel  12  but there is no reason that edge  28  cannot extend along a longer edge of front panel  12  or extend from an intermediate portion of front panel  12 . While flange  14  is shown as extending at a 90 degree angle (more or less) from front panel  12 , other angles are equally possible depending on the use of protector plate  10  and the geometry of support member  18 . Preferably, flange  14  is created by bending during manufacture, but flange  14  can also be separately attached or molded onto front panel  12 . Also, flange  14  may or may not be of the same material or same thickness as front panel  12 . Also, the extension of flange  14  away from edge  28  as compared to the length of front panel  12  as measured from edge  28  is small. In other words, the length of front panel  12  is considerably longer than the depth of flange  14 . As such, protector plate  10  can be secured to support members  18  of small depth without flange  14  extending beyond the back surface of such support member  18 . 
     Ideally, flange  14  will extend the length of edge  28 , but in some embodiments, flange  14  will only extend along a portion of edge  28 . Also, each such flange  14  may or may not incorporate a hole  30  therein which is sized to accept a nail or screw therethrough. To prevent breakage of support member  18  when using hole  30 , its location should be spaced from edge  28  as much as reasonably possible. 
     Flange  14  is configured with a pair of depending prongs  32 . In some embodiments, only one prong  32  is needed for protector plate  10  while in other embodiments, more than two such prongs  32  are utilized. Furthermore, prongs  32  may actually be configured as a series of saw teeth positioned along flange  14  or there may be sawteeth along the prong itself (see FIG.  7 ). In all these figures, prongs  32  are shown as entering the top surface of furring strip  24  opposite the grain of wood but prong or prongs  32  can also be configured to enter the wood parallel to the grain if desired (or any angle in-between). In the embodiments shown, prongs  32  are depicted as being cut or bent from portions of flange  14 . While this may be the simplest method of manufacture, prongs  32  can also be made of different material, of a different thickness or secured to flange  14  by other means. Prongs  32  are depicted as extending downward from flange  14  in a direction parallel to front panel  12  but other directions are also equally possible. Prongs  32  are preferably spaced from back surface  22  of front panel  12  and in the embodiments shown, prongs  32  extend downward from back end region  34  of flange  14 . The protruding or extending end  36  of prong  32  is preferably beveled, sharpened or pointed so as to make its penetration into support member  18  easier. As seen more clearly in FIG. 4, prongs  32  are also tapered to a point. Ideally, this taper would help push or abut back surface  22  of front panel  12  against its corresponding support member  18 . 
     Based on the above configuration of protector plate  10 , during installation, a user would abut back surface  22  against the front surface of support member  18 . Pointed end  36  of prongs  32  would also be poised for insertion into the side surface of support member  18 . Once positioned, prongs  32  would be hammered or otherwise driven into this side surface till stopped by either flange  14  or until protector plate was determined to be sufficiently secured to support member  18 . Of course, protector plate  10  would only be installed where there are service components (i.e. electrical or communication wiring, plumbing, etc.) within support member  18  that may need protection from the subsequent insertion of drywall screws or other fasteners or anchors. The thinness of protector plate  10  prevents any bulge from occurring underneath any subsequently installed drywall, yet protector plate  10  is thick enough to provide protection to the now hidden service components. 
     With special respect to furring strips  24  when oriented as shown in FIG. 6, the direction along which prongs  32  of protector plate  10  are driven is along a stronger axis of furring strip  24  (i.e. the vertical axis) and not along its weaker axis (i.e. into or perpendicular to the front face of furring strip  24 ). This is because prongs  32  are driven into the smaller side surface of furring strip and not into its larger front surface. Hence, the action of driving protector plate  10  into furring strip  24  eliminates or reduces any bowing or flexing of furring strip  24  between studs  26  which in turn reduces the likelihood of any inadvertent breakage. Furthermore, this direction of force applied to furring strip  24  reduces and/or eliminates any loosening, weakening or withdrawal of the nail or screw anchors (not shown) that secures furring strip  24  to adjacent studs  26  which would not be the case if the direction of force applied to furring strip  24  were into its front face. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 show an embodiment of protector plate  10  wherein there are multiple flanges  14  extending from end region  28  of front panel  12 . The extending end region  34  of each flange  14  is configured with a prong  32  designed to engage its support member  18 . In this embodiment, there are sawteeth along each prong  32  in order to better engage support member  18 . As indicated earlier, while prongs  32  are shown as oriented perpendicular to the grain of furring strip  24 , prongs  32  may also be manufactured or configured so that they are parallel to this grain. FIG. 8 shows protector plate  10  after a portion of front panel  12  has been removed along score line  20 . 
     While select preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated, many modifications may occur to those skilled in the art and therefore it is to be understood that these modifications are incorporated within these embodiments as fully as if they were fully illustrated and described herein.