Patent Publication Number: US-2009218453-A1

Title: Pipe support block

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to support devices, and more particularly to a device suitable for supporting (and securing) pipes, conduit, wire and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the modern world many services such as electricity, gas, water, etc. are provided to buildings that are remotely located from the source of the services. These services, and others, are often delivered from remote locations to customers using piping, ductwork, conduit and the like. In addition, buildings have internal systems such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, etc. that also require the use of piping, conduit and other elongated structures. These pipes are permanently secured in a specific location such that their position and alignment does not change and/or they are protected from damage from the elements and human activity. 
     One of the ways this is accomplished is by placing pipes on support blocks that are mounted upon roofs, and sometimes on indoor surfaces, to secure the position and alignment of these pipes a certain distance above a roof or surface. Pipes are often mounted a certain distance above roofs for convenience, for increased safety or because the laws of a jurisdiction mandate such an arrangement. The pipes may rest directly on the support blocks or upon a fixture that itself is mounted on the top of a support block. 
     Several variations of support blocks are already used in the construction industry; however, the known support blocks all suffer from some form of limitation. As an example, it is commonly known in the prior art that wooden blocks may be used to support piping. Wooden blocks, however, have limitations. One limitation is that wooden blocks exposed to the elements will deteriorate or rot over time, thus requiring periodic replacement. If the wooden blocks are not replaced then damage may result to both the pipe resting on the wooden block and perhaps the roof as well, possibly further resulting in an interruption in the delivery of a service and costly repairs. Another limitation is related to the weight of wooden blocks and how they are purchased. Contractors will typically buy wooden tiles that are cut into individual blocks, requiring both the heavy wooden tiles and specialized equipment to be lifted to a roof. Even if the wooden tiles are cut into individual blocks before they are lifted to a roof, the weight of wooden blocks can be significant. 
     Support blocks made of synthetic materials such as plastic are also known in the art but the known designs also suffer limitations. Some synthetic material support blocks have a base permanently affixed to the bottom of the support block thus preventing the stacking of two or more blocks. Blocks that cannot be stacked will take up more space on a lifting device, which will increase the time and money required to lift the support blocks to a roof. Other known synthetic material support blocks contain an internal support structure for added strength, but the structure prevents or hinders the stacking of multiple blocks. 
     Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting structures, such as a pipe, on a roof or other surface. In one aspect, the apparatus comprises two component parts: a support block and a base. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises a support member and a base member. The support member includes a support surface. A pipe is placed on the support surface. According to an embodiment the apparatus includes a strap that is attached to the support member. The strap is removed, and each end of the strap is inserted into apertures on the top surface of the support member to secure the pipe into place. 
     According to an embodiment, there is provided a support block, the support block comprises: a lower portion and an upper portion that includes a support surface, the support surface includes a plurality of protrusions which are configured to engage a base member. 
     According to another embodiment, there is provided a support block assembly, the support block assembly comprises: a lower portion and an upper portion that includes a support surface, the support surface includes a plurality of protrusions which are engaged to a base member, and a strap which is locked into place on the support surface. 
     Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, embodiments of the present invention and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows in diagrammatic form a support apparatus or block according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2(   a ) is a bottom view of the support block of  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 2(   b ) shows a base which can be attached to the support block according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the support block of  FIG. 2(   a ) with the base installed; 
         FIG. 4  shows in diagrammatic form a support block configured to support a pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings, like elements are indicated by like references. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference is first made to  FIG. 1  which shows in diagrammatic form a support block according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is indicated generally by reference  100 . 
     The term pipe or variations thereof will be used throughout the remaining portions of this description to refer to any structure and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention disclosed in this document can be used for several applications and to secure a variety of structures. 
     The support block  100  depicted in  FIG. 1  comprises an upper portion  110 , a lower portion  120 , and a plurality of slots indicated individually by references  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  to  140   n . According to an embodiment, the support block  100  includes a strap  130 . According to an embodiment, the strap  130  is molded with the support block  100  and attached to the lower portion  120  of the exemplary support block  100  during the molding process in such a way that the strap  130  can be easily removed by an individual. Additional molded strap(s) may be included, for example, during the molding process to other portions of the upper portion  110  or the lower portion  120  of the support block  100 . As shown, the support block  100  (i.e. the upper portion  110 ) includes a support surface  112  which provides a surface for supporting the pipe. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the strap  130  includes one or more latches or hooks indicated by reference  132 . The latches or hooks  132  engage a respective pair of the apertures  140   a  to  140   n . The latches  132  secure or lock each end of the strap  130  into place and may be further tightened to secure an object such as a pipe on the top surface of the block  100 . This configuration is further illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     Reference is next made to  FIG. 2(   a ), which shows the underside of the support block  100  in more detail and  FIG. 2(   b ) which shows a base member  260  which can be attached to the support block  100 . The support block  100  and the base  260  comprise the component parts of a completed support block assembly as shown in  FIG. 3 . According to an embodiment and as shown in  FIG. 2(   a ), the support block  100  may include a plurality of protrusions, e.g. spikes,  230 , indicated individually by references  230   a ,  230   b ,  230   c ,  230   d ,  230   e  and  230   f  which protrude from the underside of the lower portion  120 . The support block  100  also includes a plurality of ribs  250 , indicated individually by references  250   a ,  250   b ,  250   c  and  250   d . The ribs  250  are configured to increase the amount of weight that can be supported by the support block  100 . It will be appreciated that any number of ribs can be used to strengthen the support block  100 . As shown in  FIG. 2(   a ), the inside of the support block  100  is generally hollow, allowing for several support blocks  100  to be stacked on top of each other. 
     According to an embodiment, the base  260  comprises a material, such as closed cell foam, that can be punctured by protrusions  230   a ,  230   b ,  230   c ,  230   d ,  230   e  and  230   f . In practice, a technician presses the base  260  against the underside of the support block  100  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Because the base  260  is not pre-attached to the support block  100 , several support blocks  100  can be stacked on top of each other and easily assembled to a corresponding base member  260  on site where the support block assemblies (i.e., support blocks  100  with attached bases  260 ) are to be installed. 
     Reference is next made to  FIG. 3 , which shows the support block  100  with the base member  260  attached to the bottom. As described above, the base  260  is attached to the underside of support block  100  via the protrusions  230   a  to  230   f  ( FIG. 2(   a )) according to an embodiment. 
     Reference is next made to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates, according to an embodiment, the use of the support block assembly (i.e., support block  100  with attached base  260 ) to support (and secure) a pipe at an installation site, typically the roof of a building. As shown, the pipe  410  rests on the support surface  112 . The strap  130  has been removed from the lower portion  120  by a technician and then one end of the strap  130  is inserted into the slot  140   d  and the other end of the strap  130  is inserted into the slot  140   k . The latches or hooks  132  on the strap  130  are configured to lock the strap  130  into position. The strap  130  can be further tightened to secure or lock the pipe  410 . At the installation site, the base  260  is generally attached as shown in  FIG. 3  before securing the pipe  410 . It will be appreciated that in other embodiments of the present invention different slot configurations or apertures may be provided for the strap  130 . According to an aspect, the slot configurations are based on the size of the pipe to be secured to the support block assembly. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other structures and fixtures can be attached to the upper portion  110  of the support block  100  (i.e. support surface  112 ) using the strap  130 . For example, it may be desired to secure a fixture to the support block  100  and then to secure a pipe onto the fixture. Such an arrangement may be desired to support a pipe at a distance higher than the height of the support block  100 . 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.