EP0326911B1

EP0326911B1 - Panel for false ceilings

Info

Publication number: EP0326911B1
Application number: EP89101178A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Anna Olewska
Original assignee: Dolmen Engineering & Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Dolmen Engineering & Systems Ltd
Priority date: 1988-02-05
Filing date: 1989-01-24
Publication date: 1992-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2009-01-24
Also published as: IT1215806B; IT8819324A0; EP0326911A1; GR3004805T3; ES2032615T3; DE68901271D1; ATE75279T1; PL160454B1; PL277591A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a panel for grille false ceilings, of the modular-assembly type, consisting of a grille supporting frame, onto which plates (3) of various dimensions are hinged. The said plates (3), once in place, constitute the volume part of the false ceiling and can be swung, giving a choice of a working position perpendicular to the plane of the grille, with the individual plates (3) of which the false ceiling consists open to the maximum, or a resting position parallel to the plane of the grille, taking up minimum space.

Description

The grille modular-assembly false ceiling has been used for some time, even in situations which require a temporary ceiling or a ceiling adapted to certain requirements of space, such as might be found in the fitting-up of stands, or offices or similar.
For such false ceilings modular-assembly panels are normally used which are easily assembled and dismantled; these form the flat surfaces of the areas to be fitted-up. The said panels generally consist of an assembly of slab or similar elements. Spaced and linked at right angles to each other in pre-selected positions to make a rigid grille assembly of fixed size.
A similar solution allows to attach panels or modules to form a false ceiling which hides the original ceiling in whole or in part so as to transmit in an even and diffused way, the light from any lamps positioned above the same false ceiling, i.e. between the false and real ceilings.
The inconvenient aspect of this false ceiling is that, to avoid having to set up or dismantle each individual module or panel from the grille each time the false ceiling is assembled or dismantled, the said panels are produced already in their final shape, i.e. with the slabs or plates locked to each other in a pre-selected position, coinciding with the maximum volumetric development of the said panels.
In this way, therefore, the individual panels of the false ceiling occupy a considerable space, with all the attendant problems of storage and/or transport, especially when the units that have to be moved are for very extensive ceilings.
DE-B-2225155 discloses a panel for false ceiling consisted of a plurality of slabs or plates that are reversibly mounted on connecting elements (2-4) and are provided with suitable joints to interlock to each other, thus forming the false ceiling panel. The connecting elements are standard dimensioned and may connect two to four adjacent plates, according to their shape.
When the panel is removed, the plates are disconnected and piled up for their transport or storage, thus obtaining the required space saving.
However, this kind of panel has the drawback of requiring to assemble and disassemble all the plates and the connecting elements each time the panel has to be used or stored/transported. This is obviously a time-consuming and antieconomical operation.
There exists, therefore, a need for panels for temporary grille modular-assembly false ceilings which may be quickly assembled, occupy minimum space, while at the same time providing high quality ceilings.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a panel for modular-assembly false ceilings which overcomes the difficulties referred to above, allowing the realization of false ceilings which fulfill the needs of the situation, without taking up too much space and providing a very quick assembling-disassembling.
In more detail, the present invention concerns a panel for grille modular-assembly false ceilings, characterized in having a grille support structure and a number of swinging plates or similar elements hinged to said structure, the plates being movable between a rest or minimum space position and a wording or maximum volume position of said panel.
The invention shall now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings, which are of an illustrative but not limiting nature, in which:

Fig.1 is a schematic perpective view of a possible embodiment of a panel according to the invention,
Fig.2 is an enlarged detail of the Fig. 1,
Fig.3 is a schematic perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a panel according to the invention in the working position; and
Fig.4 is a schematic perspective view of the panel of Fig.3 in the non-working position.

As has been mentioned before, in the embodiment outlined in the Fig.1, a support grille G has a number of swinging plates 3 hinged to it. The panel P of fig.1 is of rectangular form, but the invention does not change in essence for triangular, pentangular or other shaped panels. As can be better seen in the detail of Fig.2, the grille support structure G is composed of a primary series of elongated elements 1 (e.g. roundstock) linked at right angles and in pre-selected positions to the secondary series of elongated elements 2 (or roundstock). The plates 3 are secured to the roundstock 1 and 2 by hinges 4 which allow the plates 3 to rotate round the respective parts of the elements 1 and 2.
Since the plates 3 are mobile round the elements to which they are hinged, it is possible to select the positions of said plates at right angles to the plane of the grille G corresponding to the maximum volumetric development of the panels P and a position substantially parallel to the plane of the grille G, of minimum volumetric development, which is indicated in Fig.2 by the broken line 7. In this way, the position of the plate according to the invention can be changed according to the needs of the situation: when the panel is installed, the plates 3 are arranged in working position i.e. vertical or perpendicular with respect to the plane of the support grille G; in this position the panel has the same dimensions as those of a state-of-the-art panel.
When the panel is being transported and/or stored, the plate 3 is folded to the position indicated by the broken line in Fig.2, which is adjacent and nearly parallel to the plane of the support grille G; in this position the the space occupied by the panel is extremely reduced and allows, space for space, a much larger number of panels to be stored or transported than is possible with the traditional type.
While the size of plate 3, i.e. the length of side 5, between the hinged side 10 and the opposite side 8, may be chosen at will, the preferred solution of Fig.2 has the preferred length a little longer than the separation of two adjacent support elements 1, for plates hinged to support elements 1 and a little longer than the separation of two adjacent support elements 2 for elements hinged to support elements 2.
The purpose of the selection of such lengths for side 5 is obvious looking at Fig.2 in the light of the following observations; as has been previously stated, when the plates 3 are in the minimum open position 7, said plates have been rotated through 90 degrees on the support element 1′ (or 2′) until their lower side 8 rests on the support element 1˝ (or 2˝. If the plate was shorter, it would be free to rotate through 360 degrees round the support element 1′ or 2′, making the transport and handling of the panels very difficult.
The width 6 of the plate in Fig.2 is roughly equal to the separation of the two adjacent support elements 1 or 2, respectively by it can be equal to the separation of two non-adjacent support elements 1 or 2, as is best seen in the alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig.3. In this embodiment the length of the plate 3 hinged to the first of supporting elements 1 is equal to the separation of two adjacent support elements 2 of the said second series of supports 2, while all the plates 9 hinged to the second series of supports 2 have width 6′ equal to the separation of the first and last support elements 1 of the same panel i.e. equal to one side of the panel.
The non-working or minimum space position of the panels shown in Fig.3 is shown in Fig.4. It is obtained by swinging first the narrower plates 3 and then the wider plates 9, which cover and rest on the narrower plates 3 already rotated. As can be seen, it is better to turn the panel upside down to facilitate the "folding" of the panel.
The saving in space obtained from the folding of the panel according to the invention compared to the traditional fixed panel is obvious from Fig.4.

Claims

1. A panel for modular-assembly grille false ceilings, characterized in consisting of a grille support structure (G) and a number of swinging plates (3, 9) or similar elements hinged to said structure (G); said plates (3, 9) being movable between a rest or minimum space position and a working or maximum volumetric developpment position of said panel, and said support structure (G) being formed by at least two series of substantially coplanar elongated elements (1, 2) linked one to the other in pre-selected positions to form said grille support (G).

2. A panel according to claim 1, characterized by said grille structure (G) being formed by a primary series of roundstocks (1) parallel to each other, linked at right angles to a secondary series of roundstocks (2) parallel to each other.

3. A panel according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized by said plates (3, 9) having the length between the hinged side (10) and the opposite free side (8) at least equal to the separation of the support elements (1,2) to which the side (10) is hinged and the support elements (1,2) immediately adjacent.

4. A panel according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized by at least part of said plates (3) having the width roughly equal to the separation of two of the support elements (1,2) parallel and adjacent to each of said plates.

5. A panel according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized by at least part of said panels having the widht equal to the separation of two parallel non-adjacent support elements (1,2).

6. A panel according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized by all said plates (3) hinged to the first series of parallel and adjacent support elements (1) having the width (6) roughly equal to the separation of two parallel and adjacent support elements (2′, 2˝) of the second series of support elements (2), while all the plates (9) hinged to the second series of support elements (2), having the width (6′) roughly equal to the separation of two parallel and non-adjacent support elements (1) of said first series of support elements.

7. A panel according to Claim 6, characterized in said non-adjacent elements (1) being constituted by the first and last elements of said first series of support elements.