Apparatus for securing insulation panels to a supporting structure and ceiling support assembly incorporating the same

Abstract

An apparatus for securing insulation panels to a supporting structure and having an elongate body and a first end including a tip configured to pierce into the insulation panel and into the supporting structure. The apparatus further includes a depth stop disposed along the elongate body and adjacent said tip the depth stop providing a first abutment surface for a face of said supporting structure and a second end having associated therewith a second abutment surface, whereby a distance between the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface is less than or equal to a minimum thickness of said insulation panels.

1 . An apparatus for securing insulation panels to a supporting structure, the apparatus including:
 an elongate body;   a first end including a tip configured to pierce into the insulation panel and into the supporting structure;   a depth stop disposed along the elongate body and adjacent said tip, said depth stop providing a first abutment surface for a face of said supporting structure; and   a second end having associated therewith a second abutment surface, whereby a distance between the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface is less than or equal to a minimum thickness of said insulation panels.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the second abutment surface is associated with a head portion of the apparatus. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the supporting structure is an overhead structural element such as a roof truss element, wherein said face is a lower face of the roof truss element. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the supporting structure is an upright element such as a wall stud, wherein said face is an outer face of the wall stud. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the insulation panels are rigid cellular insulation (RCI) panels. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the insulation panels are expanded polystyrene foam panels. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the apparatus is a screw apparatus whereby the tip is pointed and includes a thread on an outer surface of the apparatus body adjacent the tip, whereby tightening of the apparatus into the panel and into the supporting structure involves screwing the screw apparatus. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the head portion is a hexagonal screw head. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the depth stop is a shoulder formed integrally with the apparatus body having of a larger cross sectional dimension than the body. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the screw apparatus including the tip, depth stop, body and head form an integral structure. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the tip is configured to screw into solid roof truss element such as a wooden truss section. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus as in  claim 1  wherein the tip is configured to screw into a rolled metal truss element. 
     
     
         13 . An assembly including:
 an apparatus configured for securing insulation panels to an overhead supporting structure in accordance with the above described paragraphs; and   a bracket including an upper face configured to be sandwiched between the insulation panel and the head portion of the apparatus, the bracket further including hook means suspended there from for supporting a ceiling support structural member.   
     
     
         14 . An assembly as in  claim 13  wherein the bracket is an inverted U-shaped bracket including a longitudinal upper face and two side walls extending downwardly there from. 
     
     
         15 . An assembly as in  claim 14  wherein the bracket upper face includes a slot having an opening at one end thereof and a linear portion, the linear portion being of a dimension to accommodate sliding of the apparatus elongate body there along but not allowing for retraction of the depth stop, the opening being of a dimension to allow for insertion of the apparatus including the depth stop. 
     
     
         16 . An assembly as in  claim 13  wherein the hook means are in the form of downward extensions of each corner of each side wall into a hook such that each side wall includes two inwardly facing hook sections and each bracket includes four hook sections at lower corners thereof. 
     
     
         17 . An assembly as in  claim 13  wherein the ceiling support structural member is a batten including a lower surface to which a ceiling panel is adapted to be fixed, and upright, slightly diverging side walls which terminate in horizontally extending flanges adapted to be supported inside each pair of inwardly facing hook sections. 
     
     
         18 . An assembly as in  claim 17  wherein the side walls are compressible such that the width of the batten can be manually decreased in order for the flanges to fit between the hook sections, and then engage inside the hook sections by releasing the side walls to their original form.