Hanger

This invention relates to hangers for armored electrical cable.

It is known to hang such cable from the vertical wires that support a suspended ceiling beneath the structural ceiling of a building. One type of hanger is a long clip that is hooked at both ends onto the vertical wire; the cable is gripped between the middle of part of the clip and the wire.

Another part of hanger attaches to a metal stud and holds the armored cable in a position running parallel to the stud.

A general feature of the invention provides a hanger in which a cable gripper holds the cable to one side of the wire, a sharp edge engages the surface of the wire on the side of the wire opposite the cable, and a force is applied to press the sharp edge against the wire to prevent the hanger from slipping down along the wire.

In another general feature of the invention, the hanger has a cable gripper at one end for holding the cable, and a mechanism at the other end for supporting the hanger at only a single location along the wire.

In another general feature of the invention, the cable is of the kind having a helical groove on the outside of the cable sheath, and the cable holding portion of the hanger includes a rib arranged to seat in the groove.

In another general feature of the invention, the hanger includes a slot into which the wire may be slipped to reach a position where the wire is grasped by the wire grasping mechanism.

Preferred embodiments of the invention include the following features.

The force that presses the sharp edge against the wire is enhanced when gravity causes the cable to pull down on the hanger. There are a pair of the sharp edges formed as a V-notch on a flat plate. The force is applied by a resilient finger (formed on a flat plate in a position adjacent the sharp edges). The force of the cable pulling down on the hanger causes bending of the finger.

The cable gripper is formed at one end of a flat plate and the sharp edge and the mechanism for applying the force are formed at another location on the flat plate.

The hanger is simple, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use. It can be attached at any place along the vertical wire and detached easily. Because the hanger is attached to the wire at only one location, wire distortion is minimized and the ceiling surface, held by the wire, remains undistorted. The cable can be easily attached to and detached from the hanger and, when attached, the rib prevents it from moving longitudinally. The rib also enables different size cables to be used. The V-shaped slot provides two sharp edges for biting into the wire while accommodating wires of different diameters.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment and from the claims.

We first briefly describe the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a cable hanger in use;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a blank for forming the hanger.

FIGS. 3, 4 are side and top views, respectively, of the finished hanger.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing how the hanger is supported.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hanger 10 supports an armored cable 12 on a vertical wire 14 (of the kind that supports a suspended ceiling beneath a structural ceiling.)

Referring to FIG. 2, hanger 10 is formed from a steel blank 16 (type 1071 or 1074, hardened and tempered to Rockwell 46/48) 0.032" thick, 3.64" long, and 0.625" wide. A slot 18, cut at a point 15/16 inches from one end 20 of hanger 10, has dimensions of 1/8 inch (along the length of the hanger) by 7/32 inch. At the inner end of slot 18 is a V-shaped hole 22 and an associated gripping finger 24. The sides of V-shaped hole 22 are each at a 30.degree. angle to the horizontal in FIG. 2. Gripping finger 24 (3/8 inch long by 3/16 inch wide) is formed by two parallel cuts 26, 28.

At the other end 29 of hanger 10, a rib 30 is formed (3/16 inch wide, 3/8 inch long and 0.080 inches high). A slot 32 extends from the end of rib 30 to within 9/32 inch of end 29. A 3/16 inch diameter screw hole 34 is drilled with its center 1/4 inch from end 20.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, hanger 10 is bent to form a hook 36 (cable gripper) having a radius of 7/32 inch (centered at a point 2 13/32 inch from end 20), and a lip 40 of length 7/32 inch. Hook 36 is bent beginning at a point 42, 13/32 inch from end 20.

Referring again to FIG. 1, in use, hook 36 is snapped over cable 12 (cables of different diameters will fit.) Slot 32 makes hook 36 more flexible and aids the snapping action. Rib 30 seats in helical groove 50 of the cable, preventing the cable from sliding along its length while permitting the hanger to be easily rotated about the cable casing. Hanger 10 is pushed onto a vertical wire 14 at slot 18 until wire 14 is forced into V-shaped hole 22, with finger 24 being deflected slightly. Cable 12 is then allowed to hang down causing hanger 10 to lie at an angle to wire 14 that is more nearly vertical than horizontal with cable 12 positioned horizontally. Rib 30 also enables hook 36 to securely hold cable of different sizes.

Referring to FIG. 5, in this position, finger 24 is flexed further and presses wire 14 against the relatively sharp edges 52 of V-shaped hole 22. Those sharp edges bite into the wire on the side of the wire opposite the cable, supporting the hanger and preventing it from slipping down the wire. Thus hanger 10 supports the cable at essentially a single location 54 on wire 14, thus reducing distortion of the wire. If need be, the hanger may later be removed simply by detaching it from wire 14 via slot 18 and snapping hook 36 off cable 12.

The hanger may alternatively be used to mount the cable to a wall using screw hole 34.

Other embodiments are within the following claims.