CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35. U.S.C. Â§119, based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/233,883 filed Aug. 14, 2009, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fasteners and, more specifically to wire/cable management devices and, more particularly, to staple-type fasteners configured to secure electrical or communications cables to structural support members.

Similar to conventional paper staples, cable or wire staples typically include a crown portion connected to two pointed leg members that extend perpendicularly away from the crown portion. During installation, the leg members are placed on either side of a cable or wire and the pointed ends are driven into the stud or other structural member that the cable is being affixed to. Depending on the type of installation and applicable building requirements, cable staples may include insulated elements.

Furthermore, jurisdictional building codes in many areas may require that building wire or cables be secured at prescribed intervals using appropriately sized staples meeting certain requirements. The right size and type of staple or wire management device may depend on the type, number, and gauge of wires in the cable. If the staples are too narrow for the cable, the sheathing or the wire conductor or insulation could be cut when the staples are installed, and if they are too large, they may not sufficiently clamp the cable in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric diagram illustrating an electrical cable staple consistent with embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the electrical cable staple of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged isometric top and bottom perspective views of the cable staple of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 4A-4C are top, front, and side plan views, respectively, of the cable staple of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric diagram illustrating an electrical cable staple 100 consistent with embodiments described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, electrical cable staple 100 may be configured to secure two separate electrical cables 110/115 to a structural element 120, such as a wall stud, a floor joist, a truss, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 1, and described more specifically below in relation to FIGS. 2-4C, electrical cable staple 100 may include a one-piece body 125. In one implementation, one piece body 125 may have four depending leg elements 130, 135, 140, and 145. It is noted that leg elements 130 and 145 are not visible in FIG. 1, and are shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4C. Leg elements 130-145 may be configured for forcible insertion into structural element 120, e.g., via a hammer or other suitable tool.

In one exemplary implementation, one-piece body 125 may include an offset configuration having a first body portion 150 and a second body portion 155 joined together via an intermediate body portion 160. In this configuration, leg elements 130 and 145 (not shown in FIG. 1) may project from first body portion 150 in a substantially perpendicular manner. Similarly, leg elements 135 and 140 may project from second body portion 155 in a substantially perpendicular manner. During installation, electrical cable 110 may be positioned in a cable receiving area between leg elements 130 and 145 and electrical cable 115 may be positioned in a cable receiving area between leg elements 135 and 140. Cable staple 100 may be driven into support element 120, e.g., by a hammer or similar tool, thereby securing electrical cables 110/115 to support structure 120.

In an exemplary implementation, one-piece body 125 may be formed of a metal or other castable material. In other implementations, one-piece body 125 may be formed of a plastic, resin, or other moldable material. Additional details relating to leg elements 130-145 are described below in relation to FIGS. 3A and 4C.

Electrical cable staple 100 may also include flange members 165 and 170 (also referred to as spacing members 165/170) that extend outwardly from opposing sides of one-piece body 125. The location and spacing of flange members 165/170 may prevent over-insertion of electrical cable staple 100 into structural element 120, thereby preventing or minimizing damage to electrical cables 110/115 during installation of electrical cable staple 100. Additional details relating to flange members 165 and 170 are described below in relation to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of electrical cable staple 100 upon installation in structural element 120. As shown in FIG. 2, leg elements 130-145 may extend or project from one-piece body 125 into structural element 120. The location of leg elements 130-145 on one-piece body 125 may be spaced such that leg elements 130 and 145 (located behind leg element 140 in FIG. 2) are spaced apart by a distance â€œD1â€ and leg elements 135 and 140 are similarly spaced apart by distance â€œD1.â€ In one implementation, distance â€œD1â€ may substantially correspond to a width of electrical cables 110/115, with different distances corresponding to different width cables. Further, the space between legs 130 and 145 may be different that the space between legs 135 and 140, thereby providing a once-piece cable staple accommodating two differently sized cables.

The length of leg elements 130-145 may be sufficient to enable secure fastening to structural element 120. As will be described in additional detail below, features of leg elements 130-145 may further encourage adequate fastening of leg elements 130-145 to structural element 120.

As described above, flange members 165/170 may be configured to engage an upper surface of structural element 120 and prevent over-insertion of leg elements 130-145 into structural element 120. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, flange member 165 may extend outwardly from first body portion 150 at a depth â€œD2â€ from an upper surface 200 of one-piece body 125. Similarly, flange member 170 may extend outwardly from second body portion 155 at depth â€œD2.â€ This configuration forms a substantially s-shaped configuration, when viewed from a plan or cross-sectional view. In one implementation, flange members 165 and 170 may be positioned at different depths relative to upper surface 200 to accommodate differently sized electrical cables or wires, such as wires having different diameters or thicknesses.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are isometric top and bottom views, respectively, of electrical cable staple 100. FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate top, plan, and end views of electrical cable staple 100. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4C, upper surface 200 of one-piece body 125 may include a contoured surface. In one embodiment, upper surface 200 may be scalloped, convex, or dished out, such that a center portion of the upper surfaces 200 of first body portion 150 and second body portion 155 has a depth lower than outer portions of the upper surfaces 200 of first body portion 150 and second body portion 155.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, leg elements 130-145 may include an tapered or barbed configuration terminating in a point or substantially pointed end. More specifically, each of leg elements 130-145 may include a flat edge 310 and a barbed edge 315. Barbed edge 315 may include two or more barbs 320. In addition, leg elements 130-145 may include textured surfaces 325 on side surfaces thereof. For example, textured surfaces 325 may include a plurality of relatively shallow, parallel grooves formed in side surfaces of each of leg elements 130-145. Alternatively, textured surfaces 325 may include a pebbled, dimpled, ridged, or rippled configuration for increasing a surface area of leg elements 130-145. Barbs 320 and surface grooves 325 may be provided to increase a holding strength of leg elements 130-145 in structural elements 120.

Leg elements 130 and 135 may have a first length and central leg elements 140 and 145 may have a second length. In one exemplary embodiment, the first length of leg elements 130 and 135 may be different than the second length of central leg elements 140 and 145. More specifically, the second length may be longer than the first length. Central leg elements 140 and 145 may also include an upper spacer portion 330 having an increased width relative to barbs 320 formed therein. A lower edge of upper spacer portion 330 may be positioned at depth â€œD2â€ so that upper spacer portion 330 may further assist in preventing over-insertion of leg elements 140 and 145 into structural element 120.

Although FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4C depict an implementation having four distinct leg elements 130-145, cable staple 100 consistent with embodiments described herein may have fewer than four leg elements. For example, central leg elements 140 and 145 may be formed as a single leg element extending from intermediate body portion 160.

In other implementations, cable staple 100 may include additional body portions and leg elements for supporting additional electrical cables. For example, a third offset body portion may extend adjacently to second body portion 155 in a manner similar to that in which second body portion 155 extends from first body portion 150. In such an embodiment, additional leg elements and an additional flange member may extend from the third body portion.

The above-described embodiments facilitate secure and effective attachment of electrical cables or wires to support structures by providing a one-piece staple having at least three distinct leg members extending from a body portion, with a first cable being supported between the first and second leg members, and the second cable being supported between the second and third leg members. The leg members may be provided with textured and/or barbed surfaces for securely engaging the support structure upon insertion therein.

The foregoing description of exemplary implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments described herein to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the embodiments. For example, a cable staple consistent with embodiments described herein may include additional body portions and leg elements for supporting more than two electrical cables.

Although the invention has been described in detail above, it is expressly understood that it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that the invention may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various changes of form, design, or arrangement may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the above-mentioned description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that defined in the following claims.

No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article â€œaâ€ is intended to include one or more items. Further, the phrase â€œbased onâ€ is intended to mean â€œbased, at least in part, onâ€ unless explicitly stated otherwise.