Abstract:
A thermal insulation sheet is maneuvered into position, especially in closely confined corners in an attic, by a tool having a prong which is inserted into the sheet, and a pusher surface which contacts the sheet to limit the depth of insertion of the prong, and which guides the sheet while an installer pushes the pusher surface against the sheet while maintaining the prong in the sheet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60/160,567, filed Oct. 20, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a method of and an instrument or arrangement for installing thermal insulation sheets or rolls in confined and out-of-reach areas, especially corners in an attic having a low overhead and limited access. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     To prevent heat loss in a house, it is known to lay thermal insulation sheets between horizontal beams or joists extending across the floor of an attic. The sheets are comprised of a fibrous material and are manufactured in various thicknesses, e.g., on the order of 3 to 18 inches, rendering the sheets bulky. The bulky sheets are generally coiled in a roll precut into batts to simplify handling, and are unrolled in the attic to simplify installation. 
     The deployment of the rolled-up sheets is, however, not an easy task. An installer must stand or kneel on the beams, taking care not to step off into the spaces between the beams. The attic environment is typically hot and not well ventilated or lit. The fibrous material tends to shed, and the resulting dust, when inhaled, is injurious to the installer&#39;s health. All these installation difficulties are aggravated when the insulation is to be installed in the corners of the attic where the sloped rafters meet the beams at the eaves. The installer cannot stand due to the low overhead, and cannot reach his arms deeply into the corners. Further, the bulk of the fibrous sheets themselves make them difficult to push into these corners. 
     A novelty search of the art uncovered the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,158,943; U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,884; U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,983 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,421. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to simplify the installation of thermal insulation sheets into confined areas, especially attic corners, and between ceilings and floors currently without insulation. 
     FEATURES OF THE INVENTION 
     In keeping with this object, one feature of this invention resides in a method of, and an instrument or arrangement for, installing a thermal insulation sheet into a confined area of low overhead and limited access. The invention comprises mounting a prong at an end of an elongated pole; holding an opposite end of the pole, and stabbing the prong into the sheet to be installed; and pushing the sheet, while maintaining the prong in the sheet, to maneuver the sheet into an installed position in the confined or out-of-reach area. 
     The use of the pole enables an installer to stand upright further away from the confined area, and to reach more deeply into the confined area than heretofore. The prong is mounted on a head that has a pusher surface. The pusher surface not only contacts the sheet to limit the depth of insertion of the prong into the sheet, but also guides the sheet into the installed position as the installer pushes the pusher surface against the sheet. A wide face of the pusher surface prevents the instrument from penetrating a faced or an unfaced sheet of insulation. A sloped rear surface of the head aids in removing the head in case of over penetration. 
     The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an installation during the performance of the method of this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a broken-away, side view of an insulation sheet during its installation into an attic corner; 
     FIG. 3 is a broken-away, exploded, enlarged view of the installation tool according to this invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head of the tool according to this invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the head of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the head of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a threaded end of a pole according to this invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the head of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 9 are broken-away, alternate side views of the pusher surface of the head of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 depicts an installer  10  straddling a pair of attic joists or beams  12 ,  14  spaced apart by a centerline distance of 16 inches. A thermal insulation sheet  20  is being laid between the beams. The insulation sheet  20  is conventional, and includes a fibrous material  16 , usually glass fibers, such as fiberglass, having a thickness on the order of 3-18 inches. The fibrous material usually has a backing or facing sheet  18  made of paper. One or more backing sheets may be used. 
     FIG. 2 depicts a corner of the attic at which a sloped roof rafter  22  meets a horizontal joist  14  at an overhang or eave  24 . This attic comer is not high enough to allow the installer to stand upright on the joist  14  nor wide enough to allow the installer to position his or her body closer to an uninsulated area. Also, this comer is typically so deep that the installer cannot conveniently reach his outstretched arms fully therein. This low overhead and limited access make it difficult for the installer to place the insulation sheet  20  in this comer. 
     This invention proposes a tool or instrument for simplifying this installation. The tool includes an elongated pole  30 , analogous to a broomstick, having a standard broomstick threaded end  32 , as shown in FIG.  3  and FIG.  7 . The installer holds the pole at its opposite unthreaded end  34 . 
     The tool also includes a head  36  having a threaded bore or socket  38  (see FIGS. 4,  5  and  8 ) into which the threaded end  32  is received. The head  36  is constituted of a rigid material, such as a molded synthetic plastic material, wood, or metal. The head has a prong  40  projecting from a pusher surface  42  surrounding the prong. The prong has a sharp tip  44 . The prong may be integral with the head and, for example, may be molded of a one-piece plastic, or the prong may be a separate piece, such as a metal nail that is molded within the plastic head. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the prong is a two-inch common nail embedded in a plastic head. 
     Although only one prong is shown, it will be understood that a plurality of prongs of the same or different lengths could be employed. The pusher surface  42  need not be planar as shown, but could be roughened or provided with sharp projections as shown in the alternate views of FIG.  9 . 
     According to this invention, the head  36  is mounted on the pole end  32  such that the prong  40  extends lengthwise of the pole. The installer stabs the prong  40  into the sheet  20  and holds it there. The prong easily pierces the paper backing  18  and the fibrous material  16  and stops when the pusher surface  42  contacts the backing  18 . Thereupon, the installer maneuvers the pierced sheet in the direction of arrow A into the confined area. If the installer wishes to move the pierced sheet toward the right, then the installer will exert pressure on the left side of the pusher surface, and vice versa. The length of the pole enables the installer to stand further back from the corner than heretofore, and also enables the installer to reach more deeply into the corner than in the past where no such tool was used. A pole shorter in length enables the installer to insulate in more restrictive areas such as underneath floorboards and in crevices. The prong is easily removable from the sheet by pulling back on the pole. The installer may repeatedly stab the sheet at different locations to obtain a better leverage on the sheet and urge it to its desired position. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a method of and instrument or arrangement for installing thermal insulation sheets in confined areas, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     For example, rather than a single prong, a plurality of prongs in mutual parallelism can extend from the pusher surface. Also, rather than the head  36  being fixed in position relative to the pole  30 , a ball and socket joint can be incorporated into the head so that the head can swivel relative to the pole. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims. 
     What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims.