In the construction of a building, such as a residential, commercial or industrial building, such buildings require the installation of dry wall and typically insulation. The dry-wall sheets are normally secured to a plurality of upright wall studs, either wooden or metal, extending in a spaced-apart relationship in a plane along a defined wall, while insulation of a defined width or thickness, such as fiberglass, Styrofoam or other sound or heat insulation, is normally installed between the wall studs. Where the insulation, such as batts of fiberglass, for example, often secured on at least one side to a paper sheet, such as an aluminum sheet, or on both sides, is installed in the wall cavity between the studs, such insulation tends to sag and fall, unless secured in an upright position. Thus, such flexible-type insulation, on installation, often does not remain in its original position inside the wall cavity, but sags or falls, leading to a loss of heat or sound insulation in the exposed area.
One prior-art method of securing insulation in a secured, upright position between the wall studs is the employment of a metal strapping band secured to one side of the metal wall studs and containing an arrow-like tab projection within the center of the metal band. In use, the installer bends the arrow-like tab from the center of the strapping material, after the strapping material has been secured to the wall studs. The arrow-like end of the tab material is then impaled on the insulation, to maintain the insulation firmly in place in the wall cavity; thus, avoiding sagging of the insulation and the loss of sound or heat. Typically, such metal banding material is secured to the metal fasteners through the use of nails with wooden studs or self-tapping screws for metal U-channel studding. The metal bands are installed generally about 6 inches down from the top of the metal studding, which defines the wall cavity and holds the insulation, and typically every 4 feet horizontally, so that there are at least one or two arrow-pronged tabs extending outwardly into the wall cavity at the upper portion of each wall cavity.
The use of centrally disposed tabs, disposed in a metal strapping to form prongs before the securing and anchoring of spacing devices in concrete, is, for example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 979,628, while strips used for spacing and holding building members in place are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,494. However, all of these prior-art methods, which employ a centrally disposed tab adapted to be bent into position, require the preforming of the tab within the central area of the metal strapping in defined locations, and do not provide the flexibility required for the variety of problems faced during construction. Further, in connection with the arrow-prong-type metal strapping, such metal strapping is typically secured to one side of a U-channel metal studding, through the employment of self-tapping screws. In practice, however, it has been found that such metal studding is usually spaced apart, for example, a short distance from an exterior wall, such as, for example, 3 to 9 inches, and, therefore, the placing of the screws and the securing of the metal strapping to the exterior wall surface of the metal studding are difficult, since the installer has limited space in which to employ a hammer or a screw gun.
Therefore, an improved metal-strapping article, suitable for use in retaining insulation within a wall cavity in a vertical position, which also provides for ease in securing the metal strapping to the wall studding, and which metal band is easily manufactured, is desirable.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds