AU2010100424B4

AU2010100424B4 - Ceiling Sag Repair

Info

Publication number: AU2010100424B4
Application number: AU2010100424A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David Willis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-09-05
Filing date: 2010-05-06
Publication date: 2010-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-05
Also published as: AU2010100424A4; US20080056853A1; AU2007216628A1

Description

Australian Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION Invention Title: Ceiling Sag Repair The invention is described in the following statement: 1 CEILING SAG REPAIR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related, in aspects, to plasterboard ceiling sag repair. BACKGROUND To THE INVENTION 5 In the construction industry, by way of example, it is often required to repair ceilings which over time have sagged. When such a ceiling sags over time, the plasterboard ceiling will typically set (goes hard) in the position to which it has sagged. If the plasterboard and ceiling are not repaired the ceiling will eventually fall down possibly causing major damage to other sections of the ceiling and the contents below. 10 In the past several workers have been required to lift the ceiling back to the desired horizontal position and hold it in place while the ceiling is repaired. It is firstly apparent that such workers are not effectively used. Secondly it takes several workers to place props in position to hold the ceiling in place and this requires substantial physical effort to push a sagged ceiling back into place. The props are normally used to hold the ceiling 15 once it is in the required position to be repaired so further substantial physical effort is required to lift and hold a ceiling prior to placement of the props. Any discussion of documents, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant 20 art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of preferred embodiments herein described there is provided a ceiling sag repair press for the repair of ceiling board attached to rafters comprising: an elongate pressure member several times narrower in width than length; 25 a pressure application means moveable between a fully collapsed position and a fully extended position; wherein with the pressure application means in the fully collapsed position, an elongate extension means can be secured to locate the elongate pressure member adjacent 2 a sagging portion of the ceiling board; the elongate extension means being adapted to extend towards the ceiling board to support the elongate pressure member and withstand a substantial pressure; the pressure application means comprising a short lift jack for providing a short lift extending over at least 2 to 8 cm to force the elongate extension 5 means upwards to cause a substantial force to be applied by the elongate pressure member to the ceiling board so as to provide a high pressure lift opposing the ceiling sag, when the ceiling board has sagged and gone hard, to substantially force the ceiling board away from the sagged position to allow the ceiling board to be fixed by fasteners to adjacent rafters so as to fix the ceiling board in place in a substantially repaired position. 10 Preferably the short lift jack comprises a bottle jack, the handle of the bottle jack providing relatively fine resistance allowing an operator to tell when the sagged ceiling is firmly positioned against the rafters before the ceiling board is fixed in the substantially repaired position. The bottle jack may be connected to a moveable base with a connection means being fixed to the shaft of the bottle jack to allow for the ready 15 separation of the elongate extension means from the moveable base for ready storage. According to a second aspect of preferred embodiments herein described there is provided a method of repairing ceiling board attached to rafters, where the ceiling board has sagged, the method comprising: securing an elongate extension means of a device in an extended condition to 20 position an elongate pressure member adjacent the sagging portion of the ceiling board with a pressure application means of the device being in a fully collapsed position; wherein the method includes the pressure application means being a short lift jack and operating the short lift jack to extend over at least 2 to 8 cm to cause a substantial force to be applied by the elongate pressure member to the ceiling board so as to provide 25 a high pressure lift opposing the ceiling sag, when the ceiling board has sagged and gone hard, to substantially force the ceiling board away from the sagged condition, the method including fixing the ceiling board in position by fastening the ceiling board to rafters such that the ceiling board is fixed in a substantially repaired position. Preferably positioning the elongate pressure member comprises lifting the elongate 30 pressure member manually until it is positioned so that the elongate pressure member is located just below the sagging portion of the ceiling board to be repaired. Arrangements 3 of this form preferably include securing the elongate extension means comprises inserting a fixing pin to secure the elongate extension means in the extended position. In addition it is preferred that operating the short lift jack to extend over at least 2 to 8 cm to cause a substantial force to be applied by the elongate pressure member, so as to provide a high 5 pressure lift, comprises providing a pumping action to move the elongate extension means, and force the ceiling away from the sagged condition to a position in which the ceiling is then fixed in a substantially repaired position by fastening the ceiling to the rafters with fasteners. In preferred embodiments, once a ceiling has been re-positioned by the ceiling repair 10 device, a single operator is then able to readily use such devices as an auto-collating screw gun to fix the ceiling back to its original position. Preferred arrangements of the present invention may include a base having at least one support comprising three legs configured as a tripod. The base may include a single tube connected to lifting means. An operating mechanism may include a handle or similar 15 device. A plurality of the supports may further include a wheel connected to a lower end of each support to allow the device to be manoeuvrable. The wheels may include a locking mechanism to prevent the load bearing device from movement when in use. A lifting means may further include a release mechanism to allow the lifting means to retract after use. The lifting means preferably comprises a short lift jack in the form of a 20 bottle jack. The lifting means may comprise a screw jack, scissor jack, ratchet jack or a combination hydraulic/air jack. The use of a bottle jack is preferred. The elongate extension means may include a number of spaced apart height adjustment holes spaced from said upper end of said elongate extension means to allow for the adjustment in height of said load bearing device for different height ceilings. The 25 elongate extension means may include different length elongate extension means to vary the overall height of the device. A pressure plate may be provided as a flat rectangular plate. The lifting means may include a spigot attached to said lifting means for attaching to said lower end of said elongate extension means. The pressure plate may be dimensioned to 30 be 1130mm in length to span three rafters having a standard 450 centimetres span from the centre of each rafter to the centre of the next rafter.

4 Preferred arrangements of ceiling repair devices according to the present invention are considered to provide a number of advantages including: (i) The ability to be easily operated by a single person; (ii) The ability to allow a single operator to repair a sagging ceiling without the 5 requirement of an assistant; (iii) The ability to allow the repair of a sagging ceiling to be carried out using less physical effort by applying a short high pressure lift using a bottle jack with the device holding the ceiling while the repair is carried out; (iv) The ability to repair sagging ceiling board using a ceiling sag repair press 10 where relatively fine pressure resistance as felt through the handle of a bottle jack allows the operator to tell when the sagged ceiling board is desirably positioned against rafters such that the ceiling board can then be re-fixed in position; (v) The ability for the short lift to be quickly retracted to enable the user to move on to make further repairs and provide a general time saving factor for the 15 overall job; The applicant also considers that there has been developed an improved load bearing device said load bearing device including: a base having at least one support; a lifting means connected to said base, said lifting means including an operating mechanism used to operate said lifting means and an elongate extension means having a lower end and a 20 upper end; a pressure plate mounted on said upper end of said elongate extension means to apply a load to and raise a portion of said ceiling when said lifting means is operated; said lifting means being arranged to move through a predetermined distance, the lifting means being arranged to indicate to a user when it has moved through the predetermined distance. 25 Preferred loading bearing devices can be used to advantageously assist with locating cornices. Similar to preferred ceiling sag repair devices according to preferred embodiments herein described preferred load bearing devices may move a distance substantially equivalent to a typical sagging distance.

5 In another embodiment there is provided a load bearing device for supporting ceilings during repair, said load bearing device including: a tripod base having a plurality of legs each having an upper end and a lower end, a wheel connected to the lower end of each leg to allow the device to be manoeuvrable; a support having a top end and a bottom end, said 5 plurality of legs attached to said support; a lifting means including an operating mechanism used to operate said lifting means and said lifting means is connected to said top end of said support, said lifting means including: a release mechanism to allow the lifting means to retract after use; an elongate extension means having a lower end and a upper end, said lower end connected to said lifting means; a pressure plate attached to 10 said upper end of said elongate extension means to apply a load to and raise a portion of said ceiling when said lifting means is operated; wherein said lifting means being arranged to move through a predetermined distance, the distance being substantially equivalent to a typical sagging distance, the lifting means being arranged to indicate to a user when it has moved through the predetermined distance. 15 It is to be recognised that other aspects, preferred forms and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the specification including the detailed description, drawings and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description 20 given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to be limitative to the invention, but are for explanation and understanding only. Figure 1 is an isometric view of a ceiling sag repair press according to one embodiment of the present invention. 25 Figure 2 is an exploded isometric view showing the separated main components of ceiling sag repair press according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a ceiling sag repair press positioned in preparation for use in repairing a sagging ceiling according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a ceiling sag repair press positioned in preparation to hoist the 30 ceiling according to one embodiment of the present invention.

6 Figure 5 shows a ceiling sag repair press after having hoisted the sagging ceiling and holding the ceiling in place so as the operator may repair the ceiling according to one embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 5 The present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of the preferred embodiment of a ceiling sag repair press according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be 10 practiced in other forms with or without these specific details. Figure 1 shows the ceiling sag repair press 10 assembled in preparation for use. The ceiling sag repair press 10 provides an improved method of repairing sagging plasterboard ceiling 50. When the plasterboard 50 sags over time, the plasterboard will typically set (goes hard) in the position to which it has sagged. For example a typical 15 distance which a ceiling would sag to would be a distance in the range of 2cm to 8cm. It therefore requires a significant amount of force to re-position a sagged and set ceiling back to its original position. This is also the case with other types of ceiling board including plasterglass. In the present embodiment, the ceiling sag repair press 10 allows the operator to repair the 20 plasterboard ceiling 50 without the need for another person who would normally be required to push up the sagging ceiling 50 manually with a wooden or similar type prop. It can be seen that the use of the ceiling sag repair press 10 will simplify the ease in which the task of repositioning a ceiling panel which has sagged is accomplished. Figures 1 and 2 shows a ceiling sag repair press 10 including three main components, a 25 base 20, a lifting means 30 and a pressure plate assembly 40. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the three components. The base 20 includes three identical supports 27 welded onto shaft 22. In this preferred arrangement the base 20 includes three supports 27 arranged in a tripod configuration, however the device 10 is not limited to this number and configuration of supports 27, it may for example have four supports 27 to define a 30 shape of a square.

7 Each support 27 ideally has a wheel 21 attached to the bottom of each leg 27 to allow the ceiling sag repair press 10 to be moved. The wheels 21 also include a lock 28 to prevent the wheels 21 and subsequently the device 10 from moving when the locks 28 are engaged. 5 A lifting means 30 is mounted on the top end of the shaft 22 to a flat metal plate 23. The lifting means 30 includes a pressure application means in the form of a bottle jack 50 moveable between a fully collapsed position and a fully extended position. The lifting means 30 further includes an elongate extension means 31. The elongate extension means 31 is advantageously provided as a single telescopic arrangement that is 10 adapted for extending towards the ceiling to support the pressure plate assembly 40 allowing the device to be used for the repair of sagging ceilings. In this embodiment the pressure plate assembly 40 comprises an elongate pressure member 40. As shown in Figure 1 the elongate pressure member 40 is several times narrower in width than length. This advantageously assists with the application of high pressure to the plasterboard 50, 15 which has set in position. In the basic form of operation, with the bottle jack 25 in the fully collapsed position, the elongate extension means 31 can be secured to locate the elongate pressure member adjacent the sagging portion of a ceiling. The bottle jack provides a lift extending over at least 2 to 8 cm to force the elongate extension means 31 upwards to cause a substantial 20 force to be applied by the elongate pressure member 40 to the ceiling so as to provide a high pressure lift opposing the ceiling sag, when the plasterboard ceiling has gone hard. This substantially forces the ceiling away from the sagged position to allow the ceiling to be fixed with fasteners to joists. In this manner the ceiling can be advantageously fixed in place in a substantially repaired position. 25 The lifting means 30 provides the relatively high pressure required to repair a sagged ceiling. The high pressure is significantly more than what known panel lifters and other similar devices used in the industry are capable of producing over a relatively long lift and therefore does not allow for the substitution of known panel lifters or other similar known devices to repair sagged ceilings.

8 By virtue of the use of the bottle jack 25, the lifting means 30 only has a short lift in order to lift a ceiling 50 which requires repositioning and repairing. The short lift is advantageous as a ceiling will generally only sag a distance of 8cm. That is, once the plasterboard has set in this position, the ceiling sag repair press is advantageously able to 5 provide a short and high pressure lift to allow the sagged ceiling to be repaired. In addition there is the added advantage that by having only a short lift the load bearing device 10 and the lifting means 30 can be quickly retracted to enable the user to move on to further repairs. This also provides a substantial time saving factor for the overall job. In other embodiments, various forms of short lift jack may be used including screw jacks, 10 scissor jacks, ratchet jacks or a combination hydraulic/air jack to lift and repair the ceiling 50. The use of a bottle jack is however particularly preferred. In this embodiment, the bottle jack 25 is secured to the plate 23 by bolts (not shown) or similar securing devices. The bottle jack 25 has been modified so as to extend the operating mechanism 26, for example a handle to allow for one-handed operation. The 15 bottle jack 25 also includes a pressure release valve (not shown) which is operated by mechanism 24. The mechanism 24 is in the shape of a t-bar, however, alternatively it could form any shape which allows the user to easily release the pressure in the bottle jack 25. To mount the elongate extension means 31 to the bottle jack 25 a short housing spigot 60 20 is welded to the hydraulic shaft 29 of the bottle jack 25. It should also be noted that other methods of attaching the short housing spigot 60 to the bottle jack 25 and the hydraulic shaft 29 may be used such as a simple screw thread on the bottle jack 25 and a mating screw thread on the short housing spigot 60. As illustrated in the Figures, the housing spigot 60 has an aperture 61 which, when the 25 lower end of the elongate extension means 31 is placed over the spigot 60 the aperture 61, lines up with aperture 33 in the elongate extension means 31. A bolt 34 can then subsequently be passed through both apertures 61, 33 to secure the elongate extension means 31 to the spigot 60. This allows the elongate extension means 31 to be easily disassembled from the bottle jack 25 for transport and storage.

9 At the upper end of the elongate extension means 31 a bolt hole 35 and fixing pin 32 enable the pressure plate assembly 40 to be inserted into the upper end of the elongate extension means 31 and secured by use of the fixing pin 32. The T-bar 41 has several height adjustment holes 42 which enable the user to vary the overall height of the ceiling 5 sag repair press 10 for the repair of different ceiling 50 heights. It is also possible to incorporate different length T-bar assemblies 41 to vary the overall height of the ceiling sag repair press 10. On the T-bar cross-member 43 a flat rectangular aluminium plate 44 is mounted to the T bar cross member 43 by screws (not shown) which are countersunk into the aluminium 10 plate 44 so that they do not appear above the surface of the aluminium plate 44. Alternatively the rectangular aluminium plate 44 can be attached to the T-bar cross member 43 by any other suitable means, for example it may be welded. To reinforce the aluminium plate 44 the T-bar cross member 43 is preferably constructed from an open box channel which is fixed to the underside of the aluminium plate 44. The open box 15 channel is used to strengthen the plate and provide for the distribution of weight over a greater cross-sectional area when the ceiling sag repair press 10 is used to push up a sagging ceiling 50. The four corners of the aluminium plate 44 are rounded. The aluminium plate 44 is the flat member which comes into contact with the ceiling 50. The contacting portion of the 20 plate 44 which comes into contact with the ceiling 50 is substantially planar so as it easily distributes the pressure across the portion of the ceiling 50 to be lifted and repaired. The aluminium plate 44 is sized so as to span three rafters which are 450 cm apart from the centre of each rafter to the centre of the next rafter. To repair a sagging ceiling 50 the operator of the ceiling sag repair press 10 must first 25 make an estimation of the height of the ceiling 50 to be repaired. The estimation is carried out by lifting the pressure plate assembly 40 manually until it is located just below the centre of the concave part 51 of the ceiling 50 to be repaired (see figure 3). Then using the adjustment holes 42 on the pressure plate assembly 40 of the ceiling sag repair press 10, the operator then inserts the fixing pin 32 in the required position. The operator then 30 positions the whole device in place under the ceiling to be repaired (see figure 4) and locks the wheels 21 by engaging the wheel locks 28. The ceiling 50 is then hoisted by 10 pushing up and down on the operating mechanism 26 of the bottle jack 25 in the usual manner. The operator continues up and down pumping action on the operating mechanism 26 until the ceiling 50 is back in place against the rafters 52 (see figure 5). The operator can advantageously tell when the ceiling 50 is firmly positioned against the 5 rafters 52 due to the resistance which will be felt in the operating mechanism 26 of the bottle jack 25. For an operator to determine when the ceiling 50 is in the correct position against the rafters 52, a combination of feeling the resistance in the operating mechanism 26 which is used to indicate to the user that the ceiling is in the correct position and also the very short lift in the lifting means 30, for example the bottle jack 25 has a very short 10 lift, and high pressure to enable the operator to repair a ceiling 50, especially when the ceiling has sagged and set in the sagged position. For example a typical distance which a ceiling would sag, would be a distance in the range of 2cm to 8cm. The operator makes the required repair and once this is achieved the pressure releasing valve is released by turning mechanism 24 on the bottle jack 25. When the pressure is released the elongate 15 extension means 31 and pressure plate assembly 40 are lowered and the whole ceiling sag repair press 10 can be relocated to the next position requiring repair. The ceiling sag repair press 10 may also be used to repair or replace damaged cornices or install a new cornice to a ceiling 50 in a similar manner as described above. The device 10 allows the operator to repair and install long and heavy lengths of cornice without the 20 need for another operator who would normally be required to install a standard ceiling cornice. It can be seen that the use of a ceiling sag repair press 10 according to the present invention will simplify the ease in which the task of repositioning a ceiling cornice is accomplished. The ceiling sag repair press 10 may also be used to repair steel rafter ceilings were the 25 distance between steel trusses is usually between 1.5 to 1.8 metres. To repair this type of ceiling more than one ceiling sag repair press 10 can be used with the two pressure plate assemblies 40 placed side by side to cover the span of the steel trusses. With respect to the overhead installation of plasterboard panels and cornices it is to be noted that there are a number of known devices. With these devices, in the construction 30 of a ceiling, a plasterboard panel is lifted into place and supported by a panel hoisting and positioning device. As such this allows the panel to be held effectively and positively in 11 place while the panel is fixed to the rafters in the ceiling. Moreover, these devices are designed to place and support a sheet of plasterboard in a position to be fixed to the ceiling rafters, they do not require the device to be able to apply substantial force to the plasterboard as it is only required to support the plasterboard while it is fixed to the 5 ceiling. Furthermore, with the installation of cornices it is generally recognised that the process requires the use of at least two operators in order to install a standard ceiling cornice. However, it is possible to install a lightweight cornice using the ceiling sag repair press 10 using only one person. Previously, the installation is carried out by means of driving a 10 large 4 inch nail into the wall at the opposite end of the cornice which would have normally been held by the other operator to hold the cornice in place. This method of installing lightweight cornices is not acceptable for solid plaster walls as it causes extensive damage to wall and requires the wall to be repaired once the cornice has been installed. There is also the problem that the nail which is holding the cornice may come 15 out before the cornice is properly installed and thereby damage the cornice. As indicated above this method of installation is only appropriate for lightweight (gyprock) cornice, it cannot be used for heavier (plasterglass) cornice. Also known in the construction industry are vertical lifting devices which allow materials such as kitchen cabinets to be installed along vertical walls. The devices are used to lift 20 and support the materials while the materials are fixed in place to the wall, they are not required to apply a substantial force to the materials as they are only required to support and hold the materials. Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that 25 the foregoing and various other changes, omission and additions may be made therein and thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be understood as limited to the specific embodiments set out above but to include all possible embodiments which can be embodied within a scope encompassed and equivalent thereof with respect to the feature set out in the appended 30 claims.

12 As described above, the preferred embodiments provide a number of advantages including: (i) The ability to be easily operated by a single person; (ii) The ability to allow a single operator to repair a sagging ceiling without the 5 requirement of an assistant; (iii) The ability to allow the repair of a sagging ceiling to be carried out using less physical effort as the device is used to hoist the sagging ceiling and also hold the ceiling while the repair is carried out; (iv) The ability to repair sagging ceiling board using a ceiling sag repair press 10 where relatively fine pressure resistance as felt through the handle of a bottle jack allows the operator to tell when the sagged ceiling board is desirably positioned against rafters such that the ceiling board can then be re-fixed in position; (v) The ability for the short lift to be quickly retracted to enable the user to move on to make further repairs and provide a general time saving factor for the 15 overall job; (vi) The generally ability to allow a single operator to perform the repair in substantially less time than had previously been required to repair a ceiling Any discussion of documents, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the 20 material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art. In the present specification, the presence of particular features does not preclude the existence of further features. The words "comprising", "including" and "having" are to be construed in an inclusive rather than an exclusive sense. 25

Claims

1. A ceiling sag repair press for the repair of ceiling board attached to rafters comprising: 5 an elongate pressure member several times narrower in width than length; a pressure application means moveable between a fully collapsed position and a fully extended position; wherein with the pressure application means in the fully collapsed position, an elongate extension means can be secured to locate the elongate pressure member 10 adjacent a sagging portion of the ceiling board; the elongate extension means being adapted to extend towards the ceiling board to support the elongate pressure member and withstand a substantial pressure; the pressure application means comprising a short lift jack for providing a short lift extending over at least 2 to 8 cm to force the elongate extension means upwards to cause a substantial force to be 15 applied by the elongate pressure member to the ceiling board so as to provide a high pressure lift opposing the ceiling sag, when the ceiling board has sagged and gone hard, to substantially force the ceiling board away from the sagged position to allow the ceiling board to be fixed by fasteners to adjacent rafters so as to fix the ceiling board in place in a substantially repaired position. 20

2. A ceiling sag repair device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the short lift jack comprises a bottle jack, the handle of the bottle jack providing relatively fine resistance allowing an operator to tell when the sagged ceiling is firmly positioned against the rafters before the ceiling board is fixed in the substantially repaired position, the bottle jack being connected to a moveable base with a connection 25 means being fixed to the shaft of the bottle jack to allow for the ready separation of the elongate extension means from the moveable base for ready storage.

3. A method of repairing ceiling board attached to rafters, where the ceiling board has sagged, the method comprising: securing an elongate extension means of a device in an extended condition to 30 position an elongate pressure member adjacent the sagging portion of the ceiling 14 board with a pressure application means of the device being in a fully collapsed position; wherein the method includes the pressure application means being a short lift jack and operating the short lift jack to extend over at least 2 to 8 cm to cause a 5 substantial force to be applied by the elongate pressure member to the ceiling board so as to provide a high pressure lift opposing the ceiling sag, when the ceiling board has sagged and gone hard, to substantially force the ceiling board away from the sagged condition, the method including fixing the ceiling board in position by fastening the ceiling board to rafters such that the ceiling board is fixed in a 10 substantially repaired position.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein positioning the elongate pressure member comprises lifting the elongate pressure member manually until it is positioned so that the elongate pressure member is located just below the sagging portion of the ceiling board to be repaired; securing the elongate extension means comprises 15 inserting a fixing pin to secure the elongate extension means in the extended position; and operating the short lift jack to extend over at least 2 to 8 cm to cause a substantial force to be applied by the elongate pressure member, so as to provide a high pressure lift, comprises providing a pumping action to move the elongate extension means, and force the ceiling away from the sagged condition to a position 20 in which the ceiling is then fixed in a substantially repaired position by fastening the ceiling to the rafters with fasteners.

5. A ceiling sag repair device or a method of repairing a sagging ceiling substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.