Abstract:
A tool for installing a heating wire in a floor substrate of the type having receiving means opened toward a surface thereof to receive a heating wire comprises a support with a handle portion to be manually handled by a user. A contact surface is related to the support, the contact surface adapted to contact the floor or floor substrate during displacement of the tool along the floor substrate. An interface is between the handle portion and a heating wire. The interface is adapted to contact the heating wire such that a given pressure applied on the handle portion by the user during the displacement of the tool along the floor substrate is converted by the interface into local engagement of the heating wire in at least one of the receiving means. A method for installing the heating wire using the tool is also provided.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/255,896, filed on Oct. 29, 2009, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The present application also relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,530, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE APPLICATION 
       [0002]    The present application relates to a heating wire support meshing to install heating wires in heated floors, and more particularly to a tool for installing heating wire in support meshing. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
       [0003]    The installation of heating wires in floors typically involves the use of installation strips or support meshing that hold the heating wire in a selected path until the floor is finished. For instance, a cementitious slurry is typically applied over the heating wire and support meshing or strips. 
         [0004]    One of the issues related to the installation of heating wire in strips or support meshing is that it is labour-intensive. The installer must take the necessary precautions to avoid damaging the heating wire, and manipulate the wire with some level of dexterity to ensure the proper installation of the heating wire in the strips or support meshing. The installer may have to kneel down to perform the installation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION 
       [0005]    It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a wire installation tool for radiant floors that addresses issues associated with the prior art. 
         [0006]    Therefore, in accordance with the present application, there is provided a tool for installing a heating wire in a floor substrate of the type having receiving means opened toward a surface thereof to receive a heating wire, the tool comprising: a support with a handle portion to be manually handled by a user; a contact surface related to the support, the contact surface adapted to contact the floor or floor substrate during displacement of the tool along the floor substrate; and an interface between the handle portion and a heating wire, the interface being adapted to contact the heating wire such that a given pressure applied on the handle portion by the user during the displacement of the tool along the floor substrate is converted by the interface into local engagement of the heating wire in at least one of the receiving means. 
         [0007]    Further in accordance with the present application, there is provided a method for installing a floor substrate of the type having receiving means opened toward a surface thereof to receive a heating wire comprising: simultaneously pressing a heating wire into engagement in individual ones of the receiving means of the floor substrate and moving along an installation path in the floor substrate by contact of the tool with the floor substrate. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is an enlarged fragmented view illustrating a mat section of heating wire support meshing; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1  showing the construction of a post junction; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a wire installation tool constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an assembly view and a perspective view of the wire installation tool of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the wire installation tool as used to install heating wire in the heating wire support meshing of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of the wire installation tool being used as in  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a mat section  11  interconnectable with other similar mat sections  11  to form a heating wire support meshing  10  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ), as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,530, incorporated herein by reference. A heating wire  12  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) is retained within the support meshing in an array to form a heating circuit. 
         [0015]    Although fragmented in  FIG. 1 , the mat section  11  may be of substantially rectangular outline, of substantially square outline, or of any other suitable outline. The mat section  11  is formed by transversely spaced parallel rows of wire support bridge formations interconnected at their junctions, but this is not illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  for reasons of clarity. 
         [0016]    Each of the mat sections  11  is formed by transversely spaced parallel rows, namely rows  14  and  14 ′ of wire support bridge formations  15 , with a free space between the rows  14 / 14 ′. The rows  14  are preferably spaced from one another the same distance the rows  14 ′ are spaced from one another, this distance being called generically the “row spacing” for subsequent reference in the present application. Accordingly, the free Accordingly, the free space between rows  14 / 14 ′ may be of square shape. 
         [0017]    The wire support bridge formations  15  are inter-connected together at their crossings by a post junction  16  which is better illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The wire support bridge formations  15  have wire receiving means in the form of vertical wire-receiving slots  17  for receiving and guiding an electric heating wire  12 , shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , along one or more desired paths. The receiving means may take any appropriate format (e.g., slot, channel, clip, etc). 
         [0018]    The mat sections  11  are further provided with bottom support formations constituted by flat bottom wall portions  19  of the wire support bridge formations  15  and the bottom face  20 ′ of the attachment posts  20  as well as the bottom face  21 ′ of the cup formations  21 , used for interconnection of adjacent mat sections  11  in forming a complete support meshing, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,530. These bottom support formations  21  extend along a bottom planar surface of the mat sections  11 . 
         [0019]    Top support formations are constituted by the flat top wall  20 ″ of the posts  20  and the flat top surfaces  15 ′ of the bridge formations  15 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the bridge formations are provided with a flanged flat bottom surface  19  which lies in the bottom planar surface, to provide additional support on a sub-flooring. The top support formations (e.g., flat top wall  20 ″) lie in a top planar surface of the mat section  11 . 
         [0020]    The vertical wire-receiving slots  17  in the bridge formations  15  have an open top end  22  to receive the wires therein and have a depth sufficient to retain the heating wire spaced below the top surface  15 ′, herein intermediate the top and bottom planar surfaces. The wire-receiving slot  17  is also dimensioned for frictional engagement with the electric heating wire positioned therein. The slot also has a concavely curved concavely curved bottom edge  23  for smooth seating support of the heating wire. It also has substantially parallel side edges  24 . Other mechanical wire-retaining features such as undercuts, retaining slot with protrusions, etc., are envisaged for retaining the wire in the slot  17 . 
         [0021]    It is pointed out that the mat sections  11 , and consequently the entire support meshing  10 , are constructed of a suitable plastic material. Preferably the mat sections are injection-molded. Any other type of meshing receiving heating wire may be used as well. The support meshing  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  is provided for illustrative purposes, whereby alternatives to the support meshing  10  may be used with the wire installation tool described hereinafter. 
         [0022]    Now that the mat sections  11  and support meshing  10  have been generally described, with more details available in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,530, a wire installation tool and use thereof are described. 
         [0023]    Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a wire installation tool is generally shown at  30 . The tool  30  is used to install the heating wire  12  in the support meshing  10  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ), or in any equivalent floor substrate used to receive a heating wire  12 . 
         [0024]    The tool  30  has an interface that is used to press the heating wire  12  into engagement in the floor substrate, i.e., the support meshing  10 , and a contact surface by the tool  30  contacts the floor substrate or the floor. In the illustrated embodiment, the interface and the contact surface are both part of an installing wheel  40  idled in the support  50 . A portion of the installing wheel  40  is therefore the interface between the heating wire  12  and the support  50  of the installation tool  30 , as it converts a pressure on the support  50  of the installation tool  30  to an insertion of the heating wire  12  in the floor substrate. Another portion of the installing wheel  40  is also the contact surface of the tool  30  with the floor substrate, as tool  30  with the floor substrate, as it moves relative to the floor substrate by contacting same. 
         [0025]    The support  50  is handled by an installer person, either directly or through a pole A. 
         [0026]    The installing wheel  40  has an axle  41  by which it is rotatably supported in the support  50 , such that it is free to rotate. The axle  41  extends laterally from both sides of the support  50 . Accordingly, as will be described hereinafter, the axle  41  forms a visual indicator from a plan view, as it indicates to an installer the position of the center of the wheel  40 , and thus the point of engagement between the heating wire  12  and the floor substrate. 
         [0027]    Two rows of radial fingers  42  project radially from the body of the wheel  40 , with the rows of radial fingers  42  being separated by a groove  43 . In the assembly of  FIG. 4 , the wheel  40  is shown having two separate wheel halves  40 A and  40 B, assembled to form the wheel of  FIG. 3 . The assembly of  FIG. 4  constitutes one assembly possibility over many other assemblies considered to form the wheel  40 , such as integrally molding the wheel  40 . The two rows of radial fingers  42  and the spacing between adjacent fingers  42  of the same row represent the contact surface of the tool  30  with the floor/floor substrate (e.g., meshing  10 ), as will be described hereinafter. 
         [0028]    The groove  43  is sized to receive the heating wire without, however, holding the wire captive between the radial fingers  42 . The heating wire is blocked from lateral movement (i.e., along an axial direction of the wheel  40 ) by the presence of the radial fingers  42 . The surface of the groove  43  is the interface between the tool  30  and the heating wire  12 . 
         [0029]    The radial fingers  42  of a same row are spaced apart such that the spacing between the fingers  42  (and thus between the gaps defined by adjacent fingers  42 ) is generally equal to the row spacing between rows  14 / 14 ′ of the support meshing. In the illustrated embodiment, two of the fingers  42  fit simultaneously in the space between rows  14 / 14 ′ as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , but it may be that only a single one of fingers  42  fits in the space between rows  14 / 14 ′. Alternatively, more than two fingers  42  may fit into the space between the rows  14 / 14 ′. Therefore, by this equivalence relation between the row spacing and the finger spacing, the fingers  42  penetrate the space between the rows  14 / 14 ′ when the wheel  40  is rolled onto the top surface of the support meshing, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , for the guided displacement of the wheel  40  along the floor substrate. 
         [0030]    By way of example, the row spacing may be of 1.0 inch. Therefore, the rows  14  are parallel to one another and spaced apart by 1.0 inch, as are the rows  14 ′. In the illustrated embodiment, center lines of the gaps at opposed ends of a pair of two radial fingers  42  are spaced apart by about 1.0 inch. The row spacing may be more or less than 1.0 inch. 
         [0031]    More importantly, the support meshing  10  and the wheel  40  have complementary shapes, such that the wheel  40  is guided when rolling in a straight path along the support meshing  10  by the complementary engagement. 
         [0032]    Any complementary shape may be used. For instance, the contact surface of the tool may be flat pads sliding on top of the floor substrate. As an another example with guided displacement, the tool has blades penetrating the slots  17  in the front and/or in the back of the interface, or on the sides of the interface. 
         [0033]    Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the support  50  is shown rotatably supporting the installing wheel  40 . The support  50  has an elongated body with a longitudinal groove  51 . The longitudinal groove  51  has a section shaped to receive the heating wire, such that the heating wire may slide along the along the groove  51 . In the assembly of  FIG. 4 , the support  50  is shown having two separate support halves  50 A and  50 B, among other components, assembled to form the support  50  of  FIG. 3 . The assembly of  FIG. 4  constitutes one assembly possibility over many other assemblies considered to form the support  50 . 
         [0034]    A wire guide clamp  52  is positioned at an end of the groove  51  and is adjacent to the installing wheel  40 . The wire guide clamp  52  is pivotably mounted to the body of the support  50 , and is biased against the support  50  by spring  53  ( FIG. 4 ). The free end of the wire guide clamp  52  is arch-shaped, and therefore defines an opening  54  surrounding the installing wheel  40 . A pusher  55  is centrally positioned in the opening  54 , and the pusher  55  is aligned with the groove  43  in the wheel  40 . 
         [0035]    Therefore, referring to  FIG. 5 , when a length of the heating wire  12  is on the tool  30 , the heating wire  12  threads through the opening  54 , and is kept in the groove  43  of the wheel  40  by the pusher  55 , and may also thread through a wire guide ring as described below. As heating wire  12  is dispensed by the tool  30 , the biasing action of the wire guide clamp  52  allows freedom of movement of the heating wire  12  with respect to the tool  30 , while ensuring that the heating wire  12  remains in between the rows of radial fingers  42  of the wheel  40 , and thus in the groove  43 . 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , an opposed end of the support  50  has an open end  56 , so as to accommodate the end of a pole A (e.g., stick, rod, or the like). According to one embodiment, tapping  57  is provided in the open end  56 , for the screwing engagement of a threaded end of the pole A. Other connection configurations are considered as well. A wire guide ring  58  is also provided at the end of the support  50 . The wire guide ring  58  ensures that the heating wire  12  stays in the longitudinal groove  51 . The wire guide ring  58  is one embodiment among many embodiment among many others considered. For instance, a closed channel may alternatively be provided along the longitudinal groove  51 . 
         [0037]    It is pointed out that the heating wire  12  typically may have a cold lead at an end, which cold lead is larger in diameter than a remainder of the heating wire  12 . Accordingly, the movement of the wire guide clamp  52  and of the wire guide ring  58  allow the cold lead to be threaded through the tool  30 . 
         [0038]    Now that the wire installation tool  30  has been described, the installation of the heating wire  12  in the floor substrate, such as the support meshing  10 , is set forth. The installation of the heating wire  12  is preferably performed after the floor substrate has been installed on the floor. As an alternative, the heating wire  12  may be installed on the floor substrate, with the floor substrate being installed in the floor subsequently. 
         [0039]    In an embodiment, the heating wire  12  is installed on the wire installation tool  30 , with a free end of the heating wire  12  being threaded through the wire guide ring  58 , along the longitudinal groove  51 , through the opening  54  of the clamp  52 , around a portion of the wheel  40  within the groove  43  thereof. 
         [0040]    In another embodiment, the heating wire  12  may be positioned directly on the floor substrate, above the slots of the floor substrate that will receive the heating wire  12  (e.g., slots  17 ). 
         [0041]    The free end of the heating wire  12 , for example extending out of the tool  30 , is inserted into a few vertical wire-receiving slots  17  ( FIG. 1 ), for instance manually. 
         [0042]    The installation tool is then displaced along the floor substrate, along a path in which it is desired to set the heating wire  12 . In an embodiment, the wheel  40  rolls along a selected path in the support meshing  10 . In  FIG. 5 , a multidirectional path is illustrated. Accordingly, as described above, the fingers  42  fit into the space between the rows  14 / 14 ′, whereby the tool  30  is guided along a straight path by this complementary engagement. As a result, the heating wire  12  is pressed by the groove  43  of the wheel  40  (i.e., the interface) into the vertical wire-receiving slots  17 , as the tool  30 /wheel  40  moves/rolls along the support meshing  10 . The heating wire  12  is caught and held captive in the vertical wire-receiving slots  17 . 
         [0043]    As heating wire  12  is dispensed in the manner illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , more heating wire  12  is fed from a spool. The wire guide ring  58  ensures that the heating wire  12  enters through the longitudinal groove  51 , and remains aligned with the wheel  40  in the tool  30 . 
         [0044]    If the selected path of installation of the heating wire  12  requires a turn, the dimension of the radial fingers  42  set forth above allows a user to orient the tool  30  in another direction, with the heating wire  12  following the new direction by clamping into the appropriate vertical wire-receiving slots  17 . The installer may use the extensions of the axle  41  as a visual indicator when changing direction in installing the heating cable  12 . 
         [0045]    The tool  30  allows the installer to move in a backward direction if the heating wire  12  is not properly installed in the slots  17 . Accordingly, a second or subsequent pass may allow the user to get the proper installation. 
         [0046]    Although one specific embodiment of the tool  30  and support meshing  10  is described, other configurations may work as well. The complementary engagement between the support meshing  10  and the tool  30  allows the wheel  40  of the tool  30  to be guided when moving along a path on the support meshing  10 , while simultaneously installing the heating wire  12  in the support meshing  10 . In the embodiments featuring guided displacement and complementary engagement, an installer may install the heating wire  12  in the support meshing  10  from a standing position if desired, with the use of the pole A. For instance, rolling movement of the tool  30  may not be required, for instance by having the tool  30  glide over the support meshing  10 .