Patent Publication Number: US-8523119-B1

Title: Pipe support bracket

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of provisional application Ser. No. 60/497,792, filed Aug. 26, 2003, the complete content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to supports and holders for tubular members such as plumbing pipes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,638 to Unertl describes a fixture for mounting water closets such as toilets or urinals directly to the wall of a structure. Unertl describes a floor mounted fixture having an opening for the plumbing drain tube. A bracket is bolted to the fixture and extends upwards and away from the floor, with a hole in the bracket sized to hold a conduit which supplies water to the toilet or urinal. The bracket mounts to threaded studs or bolts that extend from the fixture at predetermined locations, and which determine the lateral position of the bracket relative to the fixture and drain. Unfortunately, when the toilet or urinal is mounted to the fixture, the lateral position of the bracket and the hole in the bracket, is often not aligned with the position of the water inlet on the toilet or urinal. As the bracket positions the water supply conduit, this misalignment between the hole and the water inlet presents problems. There is thus a need for a bracket that allows the position of the hole in the bracket to be adjusted to coincide with the location of the water inlet conduit. 
     In a broader view existing pipe supports and brackets can have an elongated member with mounting holes, and an opening through which a pipe can extend. The mounting holes are often fastened to pre-existing fixtures, which causes the opening for the pipe to be in a pre-determined location defined by the pipe-opening in the bracket. Unfortunately, the pipe that is to be placed through the pipe-opening is often not located to coincide with the pipe-opening, so the pipe or bracket is bent to allow the pipe to fit through the pipe-opening in the bracket. There is thus a need for a support bracket that accommodates misalignment or offsets of the pipe from the bracket. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A support bracket is provided with an enlarged head sufficient to enclose a plurality of overlapping holes or circular holes spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate likely variations in tube or pipe locations. The overlapping holes are preferably of the same radius “R” with the centers of the holes being located on a common axis, and with the holes offset about 0.8R to about 1.8R, and preferably offset about 0.8R to 1.4R and ideally offset a distance about the same as the radius R of the holes. Preferably there are only one or two overlapping holes. 
     The holes preferably are formed so a lip extends around at least a portion of the circumference of each hole and along the longitudinal axis of the pipe that passes through the hole. Advantageously the lip extends around the entire periphery of the overlapping holes. The lip allows solder or adhesive to be interposed between the lip and the pipe passing through the hole, so as to better fasten the pipe to the bracket. If the bracket is made of metal, the overlapping holes and lip can be stamped from sheet metal. If the bracket is made of plastic, the holes and lip can be molded. 
     There is thus provided a support bracket for an elongated member having a generally uniform circular cross section of a radius about R. The bracket has an elongated member with a distal end containing a shaped opening formed by two overlapping circles of the same radius R and spaced a distance apart less than the twice the radius, so that an elongated member cannot be placed in each circle during use of the bracket. The circles forming the shaped opening are preferably spaced apart a distance of about the radius R. The shaped opening preferably has an edge with a lip extending from the edge along the length of the elongated member, during use of the bracket. The bracket also preferably has at least one aperture sized to allow the passage of a fastener to fasten the bracket to a fixture during use of the bracket. The at least one aperture is preferably sized to allow the passage of a fastener to fasten the bracket to a water closet mounting fixture during use of the bracket. The shaped opening can be formed in an insert fastened to the distal end, or just formed entirely within and surrounded by the distal end. 
     The bracket also includes a support bracket for use with a fixture for mounting a water closet connected to a water conduit of radius R, where the fixture has a plurality of bolts at predetermined locations to mount with the bracket during use of the bracket. The support bracket has an elongated member with a longitudinal axis. A first end of the elongated member has at least one aperture sized and located therein to allow the bracket to be fastened to the bolts on the fixture during use of the bracket. A distal end of the b racket has a shaped opening therein, with the shaped opening having circular ends with a radius of about R. The shaped opening has two opposing sides each with a cycloid shape and has opposing cusps of the cycloid shape aligned to define at least two circular openings of a radius of about R. The openings are centered on a straight line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Preferably, but optionally, a lip extends from an edge of the shaped opening, with the lip having a cycloid shape. Advantageously there are two openings spaced apart a distance of about R. The first end of the bracket advantageously has a U-shaped cross-section, with the apertures being formed in a bottom of the U-shaped cross section, and with the distal end forming a plate. The shaped opening can be is formed directly in the material of which the distal end is made, or formed in an insert placed in an opening in the distal end. 
     In a further embodiment, there is provided a support bracket for use with a fixture for mounting a water closet that is connected to a water conduit. The fixture has a plurality of bolts at predetermined locations to which the bracket is mounted during use of the bracket. The support bracket has a fastening end with aperture means for mounting the bracket to the fixture and providing for vertical positioning of the conduit along a longitudinal axis of the bracket during use of the bracket. The bracket has a distal end opposite the fastening end and further has a lateral axis extending through the distal end and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. There are means on the distal end for positioning the conduit along the lateral axis. The lateral positioning means advantageously comprises a shaped opening formed from overlapping two holes of between about ¾ to about 1 inch diameter. Advantageously there is also provided means for increasing the area of support around a periphery of the shaped opening. Finally, the lateral positioning means is advantageously formed in an insert fastened to the distal end of the support bracket, but could be formed integral with the support bracket itself. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages will become better understood by reference to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout. 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a bracket of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a back perspective view of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the front of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the bracket of  FIG. 3 , with the opposing side being the mirror image; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the back of the bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of the right or top end of the bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of the left or bottom end of the bracket of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of the bracket of  FIG. 1  installed on a left side of a mounting fixture; 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the bracket of  FIG. 1  installed on a right side of a mounting fixture; 
         FIG. 10  is a cut-out view of the shaped opening in the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cut-out view of an alternative embodiment of the shaped opening in the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a plane view of an alternative embodiment of an insert forming the shaped opening in the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view taken along section  13 - 13  of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the bracket of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a top plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 14 ; and 
         FIG. 16  is a side plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 14 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 8 , a water closet fixture  20  is fastened to a floor, and has threaded fasteners  22  such as bolts extending horizontally or generally parallel to the floor. A bracket  24  is mounted to the bolts  22  by passing the bolts  22  through appropriately located and sized apertures  26 , such as holes or slots and tightening a threaded nut thereon. The bracket  24  has a shaped opening  28  sized and located to allow the passage of a tube  30 . For illustration purposes, the tube  30  will be referred to herein as water inlet conduit  30  which is typically a water pipe having an outer diameter of about ¾ inch to about 1 inch. The water conduit  30  typically runs through a structural wall, and has an elbow or T section extending away from the wall and through the shaped opening  28  of the bracket  28 . The water closet (e.g., toilet, urinal) that fastens to the fixture  20  and water conduit  30  is not shown, but typically has an inlet tube or fitting with which the water conduit  30  must align. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-5  and  8 , the bracket  24  for this application comprises an elongated member having a first, fastening end for fastening to a water closet support fixture  20 . Opposite the first end, the bracket has a broader, generally flat distal end  32  in which the shaped opening  28  is formed. Advantageously the shaped opening  28  is contained entirely within and surrounded by the distal end  32 . The shaped opening  28  is formed by a plurality of overlapping circles, with the illustrated opening being formed of two overlapping circles located on a common centerline  33  ( FIG. 3 ) that is generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis  34  of bracket  24 , and that is preferably along a horizontal axis when in use with the depicted mounting fixture  20 . Each circle has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the tube that will pass through the shaped opening  28  when in use. 
     For a conduit  30  with an outer diameter of about 1 inch, each overlapping circle has a diameter of about 1 inch, and preferably slightly larger to allow a slip fit of the conduit through the shaped opening  28 . The overlapping circles are preferably spaced laterally apart along centerline  33  a distance corresponding to the radius of each circle, which for the illustrated embodiment is about 0.5 inches. That produces a shaped opening  28  resembling a  FIG. 8 , or resembling a short, elongated opening with a doubly curved protrusion or cusp in the middle of each side. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the overlapping circles are preferably of the same radius “R” with the centers of each openings being located on a common axis  33 , and with the openings offset a distance D. That offset distance D is about 0.8R to about 1.8R, and preferably about 0.8R to 1.4R and ideally about the same as the radius R of the openings. Thus, each of the overlapping circles is laterally offset along axis  33  a distance D that corresponds to half the diameter of the circle. In the illustrated embodiment the offset is about half the diameter of the conduit  30 , or about 0.5 inches for a one inch diameter conduit  30 , and about ⅜ of an inch for a ¾ inch diameter water conduit  30 . 
     The overlapping circles produce a cycloid shape, with a cusp  36  at the points of overlap. The cusp  36  is preferably rounded or broken to prevent a sharp point that may damage the tubes passing through the shaped opening  28 . As desired, a flattened area can be provided at the cusp  36 . The shaped opening  28  is contained entirely within the distal end  32 , with sufficient distance between the opening  28  and the periphery of the distal end to provide a sufficiently strong support for the tube, such as conduit  30 , which may pass through the shaped opening  28 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2  the bracket  24  preferably has a fastening portion shaped to increase the stiffness while reducing weight. A U-shaped cross section, as seen in  FIGS. 1-2  and  6 - 7  is believed suitable. This general shape is sometimes called a channel section or a C section. The apertures  26  are formed in the bottom of the “U” which is preferably in the same plane as the broadened head  32  which contains the shaped opening  28 . The legs of the “U” are perpendicular to the distal end or head  32  and have a gradual transition between the head  32  and the U-shaped section. The U-shape gives the bracket  24  added strength, while the broader width of the flattened portion at distal end  32  allows the shaped opening  28  to be formed within the distal end. Other cross sectional shapes can be used to provide a strengthened fastening section for fastening to the fixture  20  or other structural support, including open and closed box sections. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , the shaped opening  28  advantageously has a lip  38  around its periphery, with the lip conforming to the shape of the periphery of the opening  28 . The lip  38  preferably does not extend along the apex of the cusp  36  so as to avoid a sharp edge that may damage any tube placed through the shaped opening  28 . A lip having a length of about ⅛ to ¼ inch is believed suitable, but shorter or longer lengths may be used depending in part on the size of the shaped opening  28  and the nature of the tube passing through the shaped opening. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , when the water closet is fastened to the mounting fixture  20 , the water closet will have a predetermined attachment location for the water conduit  30 . The apertures  26  allow the vertical alignment of the shaped opening  28  to correspond with the vertical position of the water inlet on the water closet. The shaped opening  28  allows lateral adjustment of the connection to the water inlet, by allowing the inlet conduit  30  to be placed through either of two portions of the shaped opening  28 . Placement of the tubular conduit  30  through one side of the shaped opening makes the adjacent portion of the shaped opening unsuitable for accepting the passage of a tube sized to fit the opening  28 , because the tubular conduit  30  extends into the circular area occupied by the adjacent portion of the shaped opening  28 . As seen in  FIG. 8 , placing the tubular conduit  30  in the left portion of the shaped opening  28  causes the tubular conduit  30  to extend into the adjacent circular portion of the opening  28  because of the overlapping circles used to form the shaped opening  28 . Similarly, referring to  FIG. 9 , placing the tubular conduit  30  in the right side of the shaped opening  28  makes the left side of the opening  28  too small to accept another tubular conduit  30  of the same size or even of a substantially similar size. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 8 and 10 , the crest shaped juncture or cusps  36  formed by the overlapping circles are directly opposite each other and extend along axis  34  a distance sufficient to prevent the tubular conduit  30  from moving laterally along axis  33 . The curved shape of the juncture leading up to the cusp  36  avoids sharp or inclined edges that may damage the tubular conduit  30 . The spacing between the opposing junctures  36  is also sufficiently small relative to the diameter of the conduit  30  that the tubular conduit is not able to move laterally along axis  33  past the junctures of the overlapping circles resulting in cusps  36 . To change the lateral location of the conduit  30 , the tubular conduit  30  is removed from one side of the shaped opening  28  and then inserted into the other side along an axis orthogonal to the axes  33 ,  34  and perpendicular to the plane defined by axes  33 ,  34 . 
     Because the shaped opening is formed entirely within the distal end or head  32 , there are no separable parts that need to be loosened, removed or tightened in order to allow a shifting of position. The shaped opening  28  also encircles a majority of the circumference of the tubular conduit  30  which advantageously provides a sufficient surface to glue, solder or weld the conduit to the edges of the shaped opening to more securely hold the conduit. Advantageously the overlapping circles forming the shaped opening  28  provide a circular opening having an edge that subtends an arc of about 190°, and preferably have an edge that subtends an arc of about 190° to 240°, although a larger subtended arc could be used to more completely encircle the tubular conduit  30 . 
     The shaped opening  28  supports the bottom of the tubular conduit  30  where gravity urges the conduit against the edges of the shaped opening  28 . Providing a lip around at least this bottom portion of the periphery of the opening  28  can help reduce any damage or abrasion caused by the edge of the opening  28  contacting the tubular conduit  30 . The amount of overlap of the adjacent circles that form the shaped opening  28  affects the support on the bottom of the opening  28  where gravity urges the conduit  30  against the edges forming the opening  28 . In  FIGS. 8 and 10  the bracket  24  is oriented so the longitudinal axis  34  is vertical, and in this orientation the bottom of the shaped opening  28  preferably supports an arc of about 60° or more of the bottom most portion of the conduit  30 , measured symmetrically about the vertical axis. A larger or smaller portion will be supported depending on the distance D between the centers of the overlapping circles forming the shaped opening  28  and depending on the shape of the crescent shaped juncture  36 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2  and  3 - 9 , the apertures  26  in the bracket  24  can have various shapes and sizes, depending on how the bracket is to be used. The use of elongated slots allows positioning of the bracket along axis  34 , which in the illustrated embodiment is vertical. The use of repeated holes  26  or hole patterns allows incremental positioning of the bracket corresponding to the spacing of the holes. The use of different sized holes allows the bracket  24  to accommodate different bolt sizes, or allows nails or screws to pass through the appropriately sized aperture  26  in order to secure the bracket  24  to the mounting fixture  20  or to appropriate supporting structure (not shows) such as studs in a wall. 
     The bracket  24  is preferably formed of a single piece of material. The bracket  24  can be formed from sheet metal or molded material such as suitably strong plastics. The bracket can have various shapes. The illustrated bracket  24  can be made of sheet metal by punching the various apertures  26  and shaped opening  28  in a sheet of metal. The metal can be cut into strips before or after the apertures  26  and opening  28  are formed. The strip of metal can then be bent to form the stiffened U-shaped portion or box-shaped portion or other stiffening shape or other mounting shape, as desired. The lip  38  can be formed during the initial punching operation that forms the shaped opening  28 , or alternatively the initial opening  28  can be punched slightly smaller, and a subsequent operation can enlarge the opening while deforming the sheet metal to form the lip  38 . As needed, stiffening ridges or flanges can be formed on the head  32 . The illustrated bracket  24  can be molded of suitable metal or plastic by shaping a mold to the desired configuration and injecting the molten material. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10-11 , while the shaped opening  28  is preferably formed to have only two overlapping circles, it can have more.  FIG. 11  illustrates the shaped opening  28  formed of three overlapping circles, each having the same radius R, with the centerline of each opening spaced the same distance apart, with opposing cusps  36  at the location where the circles overlap. A lip  38  could be provided as desired, but is not shown. The use of three overlapping circular openings to form the shaped opening  28  makes it easier to see the cycloid shape on the two opposing edges that form the opening  28 . 
     The shaped opening of  FIG. 11  allows a tubular conduit  30  to be placed in either of three lateral positions formed by shaped opening  28  and held in position by the edges of the shaped opening and bracket  24 . Placing the tubular conduit  30  in one opening prevents the same sized conduit from being placed in an adjacent opening. Thus, if the conduit  30  is placed in the left opening as shown in  FIG. 11 , another conduit  30  of the same size could not be placed in the adjacent middle opening, but could be placed in the right side opening. Likewise, if the conduit  30  is placed in the right opening as shown in  FIG. 11 , another conduit  30  of the same size could not be placed in the adjacent middle opening, but could be placed in the left side opening. If the conduit  30  is placed in the middle opening, then no similarly sized conduit  30  could be placed in either adjacent openings on the left or right. 
     While each of the circles forming the shaped opening  28  could be made a different diameter, each circle preferably has the same diameter. While each of the circles forming the shaped opening  28  could be spaced a different distance D apart, preferably each opening is spaced the same distance D apart. While the axis  33 , on which is located the center of the circles forming the shaped opening  28 , could be orientated at any angle relative to axis  34 , the axes  33 ,  34  are preferably perpendicular. Thus, the apertures  26  allow variable positioning of the shaped opening  28  along the axis  34 , and the overlapping holes or openings forming shaped opening  28  allow variable positioning the conduit  30  along the axis  33 . There is thus advantageously provided means on the bracket  24  for providing lateral positioning of the conduit  30  along axis  33 . The various apertures  26  also provide means for vertical positioning of the conduit  30  along axis  34 . The lateral positioning means include the shaped opening  28  having two opposing sides with cycloid shaped edges. The lip  38  provides means for increasing the area of support around the periphery of the shaped opening, and the preferably lip extends only along the opposing sides of the cycloid, or the lip may extend around the circular ends of the shaped opening  28 . 
     In use, the fastening end of the bracket is fastened to the fixture  20  to which the water closet will be mounted. The vertical positioning of the shaped opening  28  is adjusted as needed using apertures  26  to align the shaped opening  28  with the desired location of the inlet to the water closet and/or the water conduit  30 . The water closet may be temporarily placed on the fixture  20  to verify the desired location of the water conduit  30  and the vertical and lateral positioning of the shaped opening  28 . The water conduit  30  is then placed through the appropriate portion of the shaped opening  28  and ultimately connected to the inlet on the water closet. If lip  38  is provided, an adhesive may be placed on the lip or otherwise interposed between the lip and the water conduit  30  so as to fasten the lip to the conduit. If the bracket  24  is metal, solder, brazing, welding, adhesives etc. may be used to fasten the lip  38  to the conduit  30 . 
     A further embodiment of the shaped opening  28  is shown in  FIGS. 12-13 . In this further embodiment the distal end  32  has an opening  40  into which is fastened an insert  42 . The insert  42  has a shaped opening  28  as described above. The insert  42  advantageously has a larger thickness than the thickness of the distal end  32  so as to provide a larger area of contact with and support to the conduit  30  that extends through the shaped opening  28  of the insert  42 . While the insert  42  is shown with two overlapping circular holes, more overlapping openings can be used as discussed above. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the insert  42  has a first flange  44  that is larger than the opening  40  in the distal end  32 , so the insert cannot pass entirely through the opening  40 . Opposite the first flange  44  is a second, smaller flange  46  that has a tapered edge. The second flange  46  is larger than the opening  40 , but small enough that the tapered edge allows the second flange to be pushed through the opening  40 . A plurality of outwardly extending slots  48  may be provided in the second flange  46  in order to separate the flange  46  into a plurality of flexible segments or fingers which provide sufficient flexibility in the insert  42  for the second flange  46  to pass through the opening  40 . Between the flanges  44 ,  46  and in the plane of the insert  42  is a slot  50  into which the distal end  32  fits when the smaller, second flange is pushed through the opening  40 . The inward movement of the second flange  46  allows the insert  42  to be snap locked to the opening  40 . 
     The insert  42  is preferably, but optionally made of plastic, such as PVC or ABS plastic. The insert allows a single sized opening  40  to allow the shape and size of the shaped opening  28  to be varied. Thus, a single sized opening  40  could accommodate an insert having two overlapping circles of one inch diameter, or another insert having two overlapping circles of ¾ inch diameter, or an insert with different spacing between the overlapping circles, or an insert with various numbers of overlapping openings forming shaped opening  28 . This further embodiment thus allows a worker to vary the shaped opening  28  at the time of installation in order to suit the size and location of the water conduit  30 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14-16 , a further embodiment of the bracket  24  is shown having an additional hole or opening  54 . The additional opening  54  can be of various sizes and shapes, but is preferably circular and sized to receive a plumbing line associated with the fixture to which the bracket  24  is fastened. An opening  54  about ⅞ inches diameter, give or take about ¼ inch, is preferred. Advantageously the opening  54  accommodates a ⅞ inch diameter tube, such as a urinal water line, when the bracket  24  is used with a urinal fixture  20 . The opening  54  is advantageously, but optionally, centered on the longitudinal axis  34  ( FIG. 15 ) although the opening  54  could be on either side of the axis, but preferably overlaps with that axis  34 . The opening  54  is spaced apart from the shaped opening  28  a distance sufficient to provide sufficient structural support for the tubes or pipes passing through those openings  28  and  54 . 
     A lip  56  ( FIG. 16 ) surrounds the periphery of the hole  54  and depends from the head  32 . The lip  56  can be formed from punching and deforming a portion of the head to form the hole  54 . The lip  56  is optional, but forming a lip  56  around the periphery of opening  54 , with the lip conforming to the shape of the periphery of the opening  54 , is preferred. A lip  56  having a length of about ⅛ to ¼ inch is believed suitable, but shorter or longer lengths may be used depending in part on the size of the opening  56  and the nature of the tube passing through that opening. Additionally, in instances where it may be desirable to solder, braze, weld or otherwise adhere tubular conduit  30  into opening  54 , the lip  56  provides an increased surface area for an enhanced bond. The same applies to lip  38 . Providing lip  56  around at least a bottom portion of the periphery of the opening  54  can help reduce any damage or abrasion caused by the edge of the opening  54  contacting the tubular conduit  30  passing through the opening. The lip  56  thus preferably, but optionally, extends around at least 20-40% of the periphery of the opening  54 , and preferably extends around about ¼ of that opening, preferably on the bottom so that a pipe passing through the opening will rest on the lip. The lip  56  can be formed during the initial punching operation that forms the opening  54 , or alternatively the initial opening  54  can be punched slightly smaller, and a subsequent operation can enlarge the opening while deforming the sheet metal to form the lip  56 . Alternatively, the opening  54  can be cut or formed by other known means and the lip  56  omitted, or soldered or welded in place. 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention, including various ways of orientating the shaped openings  28  in the head  32  of the bracket  24 . While the bracket  24  is described being used in a specific application and with the head  32  being vertically oriented, the bracket  24  can be used in any orientation and a variety of applications where tubular structures such as pipes, electrical conduit and other elongated members are to be supported. Further, the various features of this invention can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the invention is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments but is to be defined by the following claims when read in the broadest reasonable manner to preserve the validity of the claims.