Abstract:
A tool is disclosed comprising a thin, ribbon-like but semi-rigid material which can be “snaked” in between ductwork and the surface to which it is attached. The tool is configured to enable the temporary attachment of a tape material thereon. Further, the tape material includes a non-adhesive “release tape” attached to the adhesive portion of the adhesive tape. Using the method and apparatus described herein, a user can insert the tape, with the protective tape release thereon, around the ductwork, release the tape and remove the tool, and use the tool as it is being withdrawn to urge the adhesive tape onto the seam being taped.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based on and claims priority to provisional Application No. 60/759,504, filed Jan. 17, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated fully herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of the application of tape or other sealing strips in difficult-to-reach locations, and, more particularly, to a device for facilitating same. 
     In the construction of buildings, both residential and commercial, there is typically a significant amount of effort expended to install functionally important but aesthetically undesirable elements inside walls, below floors, and above ceilings. Examples of such elements include electrical wiring, piping and plumbing, and ductwork for heating and air conditioning. 
     Ductwork in particular presents significant challenges to the builder and installer due to its size and shape. Typical ductwork is shaped in the form of rectangular or oval conduit and is usually a foot or more in width and 6-9 inches in height. Installation of this ductwork is typically done in such a manner that it is placed as close as possible to the structural portion of the house to which it is attached, for example, the underside of a floor of a room to which the conduit/ductwork is providing heating or cooling. 
     Ductwork typically has to be routed in a somewhat roundabout manner to navigate through the various structural elements in the house so as to get the heated or cooled air from the heating/air conditioning unit to the rooms in the house. As a result, most ductwork is a series of sections of smaller pieces, interconnected to each other using rivets, screws, or other fastening methods. 
     For numerous reasons, including but not limited to operational efficiency, aesthetics, protection from sharp edges, and building codes, it is quite common, and often required, that the seams between two sections of ductwork be taped to seal them off. This very important taping function can be very difficult, particularly when installing the tape after the ductwork has been installed in the building structure, as is typically the case when a preexisting house is subjected to new building codes that require taping. 
     A particular problem is created by the close proximity of the ductwork to the structure to which it is mounted, i.e., underneath the floor of a room. Since the ductwork is mounted close to the floor to which it is attached, there is typically very little space between the floor and the ductwork to slide the tape around the seam. The process is further complicated because ductwork is a dust and dirt collector, and thus, when sliding a piece of tape having adhesive thereon along the top of the ductwork, between the ductwork and the floor, the adhesive tends to pick up dust and dirt, thereby reducing or nullifying the adhesive effect of the adhesive material. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for enabling the insertion of tape or other sealing strip material around ductwork in between the ductwork and the flooring above, and in such a manner to minimize or completely prohibit the contacting of the adhesive material of the tape with dirt and other particular matter on the ductwork. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a tool comprising a thin, ribbon-like but semi-rigid material which can be “snaked” in between ductwork and the surface to which it is attached. The tool is configured to enable the temporary attachment of a tape material thereon. Further, the tape material includes a non-adhesive “release tape” attached to the adhesive portion of the adhesive tape. Using the method and apparatus described herein, a user can insert the tape, with the protective tape release thereon, around the ductwork, release the tape and remove the tool, and use the tool as it is being withdrawn to urge the adhesive tape onto the seam being taped. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side-view of a tool in accordance with the present invention, and  FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of end  104  of the tool of  FIG. 1 , looking from the direction labeled “A” in  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 1B  is a top view of end  104  looking from the direction labeled “B” in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate a tape insert utilized with the tool illustrated in  FIG. 1  to apply tape to an area of ductwork; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a section of tape element  200  installed on the tool of  FIG. 1  in such a manner as to enable it to be used to apply the tape to a structure such as ductwork; and 
         FIG. 4  is a cut-away side-view of a floor under which are installed a series of joists in a well known manner. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a side-view of a tool in accordance with the present invention, and  FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of end  104  of the tool of  FIG. 1 , looking from the direction labeled “A” in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1B  is a top view of end  104  looking from the direction labeled “B” in  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , a handle  100  is connected to a blade portion  102 . The blade portion comprises, in a preferred embodiment, molded or spring steel that is essentially flat but that forms an uneven U-shaped member as shown in  FIG. 1 , having an end  104 . Semi-rigid plastic may also be utilized instead of metal; in fact, any material exhibiting the rigid-but-flexible characteristics described herein may be utilized. The longer end of the U-shaped member is attached to handle  100  using any known fastening method, including screws or other fasteners, and/or by molding the end of the U-shaped member into a material used to form the handle  100 , such as rubber, plastic or the like. In the preferred embodiment, the member  102  is semi-rigid so that it can be deformed from the U-shape shown in  FIG. 1  but will return to essentially the same shape when the energy or energy source causing the deformation is removed. It is understood that the entire device can also be of unitary construction if desired, e.g., using molded plastic. 
     For reasons described below with respect to  FIGS. 2-4 , in a preferred embodiment, the inside portion of the U-shaped member includes ridges  110  and  112  formed thereon, thereby creating a recessed area  114 . 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate a side view and top view, respectively, of a tape element  200  utilized with the tool illustrated in  FIG. 1  to apply tape to an area of ductwork, as described more fully below. The tape element  200  comprises two parts, a release-tape portion  220  and a tape portion  222 . Tape portion  222  is a length of tape having, in a well known manner, adhesive material  224  formed or affixed on one side thereof to allow the tape to be pressure-fastened to material, such as ductwork. A pocket  226  is formed at one end of tape element  222 , on the top thereof. A sheet of release tape  220  is releasably attached to the adhesive side of tape  222  using well known techniques. The release tape  220 , however, has a first portion  228  that contacts the adhesive  224  and a second portion  230  which is formed by folding back the release tape  220  at folding point  232  as shown. In a preferred embodiment, the first portion  228  is slightly shorter than the second portion  230  to create a tab  234  which can be easily grasped to release the tape when desired. The width of the release tape  220  and the width of the adhesive tape  222  can be essentially the same; if one is to be of larger width than the other, then it is desirable to have the release tape  220  be slightly wider than the adhesive tape  222 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a tape element  200  installed on the tool  102  of  FIG. 1  in such a manner as to enable it to be used to apply the tape element  200  to a structure such as ductwork. It is understood that certain of the dimensions shown in the drawings are exaggerated so that the differences between the adhesive tape  222  and the release tape  220  are apparent. For example, in  FIG. 2B , there appears to be a gap between tape portion  222  and release tape  220 . However, it is understood that in practice the distance between the release tape and the adhesive tape will be essentially zero, that is, they are abutted against each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the tape element  200  is placed onto the tool  102  by inserting the end  104  of tool  102  into the pocket  226  of the tape portion  222 . The width of the tape portion  222  and the pocket  226  attached thereto is formulated such that the end of tool  102  can easily be inserted into the pocket  226 . In a preferred embodiment, the end of tool  102  is curved as shown in  FIG. 1B  to facilitate easy insertion of the tool into the pocket  226 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the width of the tape element  200  is such that it will fit snugly into recessed area  114  of tool  102 , but in a way that it can easily be released. For example, if the width of the tape element  200  is identical to the width of the cavity  114  between the ridges  110  and  112 , or if the tape is slightly wider than the distance between the ridges, it will stay in place when inserted in the ridges, but can be easily pulled out with minimal amount of tension applied to it. 
     The operation of the device of the present invention is illustrated with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  FIG. 4  is a cut-away side-view of a floor  400  under which are installed a series of joists  402 A- 402 C in a well known manner. The cavity formed between the joists is typically used to run lengths of ductwork  404  as shown. Although not shown, typically the ductwork  404  is attached to the floor  400  and/or the joists  402  using thin metal straps attached to either the joists or the floor, or both. This is a well known configuration and the details are not further discussed herein. 
     To use the device  102 , the user inserts a tape element  200  into the device  102  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The user then manipulates the tool so that the end  104  goes between joist  402 B and the ductwork and slides over the top of the ductwork  404  through slot  406 , which is simply the space between the ductwork  404  and the floor  400 . The user then pulls the tool  102  so that the end  104  of the tool  102  is pulled through slot  406  and comes out the other side of the ductwork  404  near joist  402 A. Once in this position, the user can remove the release tape  220  by pulling on tab  234  at the end of the release tape element  200 . This exposes the adhesive of the tape and the user can pull down on the tool  102 , thereby applying the adhesive tape to the ductwork  404 . If desired or possible, the user can reach up between joist  402 A and the ductwork  404  to grab the end of the tool to help in application of the tape. 
     Once the tape has been affixed to the ductwork  404 , the user simply pushes on the tool  102 , removing the end  104  of the tool  102  from the pocket  226 , leaving the tape in place on the ductwork. The user then removes the tool from the slot  406  in the same manner in which it was inserted in the slot. The user can then affix the remainder of the tape to the ductwork on the underside of the ductwork using his or her hands, since this part of the ductwork is accessible to the installer. 
     Using the invention disclosed herein, a piece of formed or spring steel is used to fish a specially-manufactured tape element into a difficult-to-attach area. While the example described above make reference to the use of the present invention in connection with taping ductwork, it is useful for maneuvering non-adhesive elements into any hard-to-reach areas. Further, the present invention can be used to maneuver tape or similar materials in and around elements other than ductwork, including plumbing, wiring, and other similar elements installed in hard-to-reach areas. The present invention is intended to cover these uses and applications as well as those described in the example. 
     The present invention also comprises a method of affixing tape to ductwork, comprising: configuring a tool to have a blade member comprising a semi-rigid element formed into an uneven U-shape, said blade member being generally ribbon-shaped, said blade member temporarily receiving thereon a generally ribbon-shaped tape material including a tape portion and a release-tape portion; and inserting said blade member a first surface and said ductwork such that said tape portion can be affixed to said second surface upon release of said release-tape portion. 
     While there has been described herein the principles of the invention, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the disclosure herein to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.