GB2258257A

GB2258257A - Resiliently mounted accessible panel

Info

Publication number: GB2258257A
Application number: GB9216293A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ernest Baldwin Nute; James Paul Rineer; Melvin Herbert Shaub
Original assignee: Armstrong World Industries Inc
Current assignee: Armstrong World Industries Inc
Priority date: 1991-08-02
Filing date: 1992-07-31
Publication date: 1993-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-31
Also published as: ITMI921846A1; BE1005851A5; FR2679943A1; DE9217919U1; ITMI921846A0; GB9216293D0; ES2074392A1; ES2074392B1; LU88153A1; NL9201396A; GB2258257B; DE4224215A1; IT1256074B

Description

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"Resiliently mounted accessible tile" This invention relates to a ceiling system that has easily removable ceiling panels resiliently held in position.

U.S. Patent 3,488,908 discloses a ceiling with panels having opposite parallel edges that are kerfed but these cooperate with panels to permit upward accessibility while completely concealing the grid. There is no resilient means shown to secure the panels in place.

U.S. Patent 3,714,753 discloses a ceiling with panels having opposite parallel edges that are kerfed but some of these kerfs in the panels house L-shaped supportable members which attach to specifically designed support elements in the runners to hold the ceiling panels in place. With a downward force, the supportable members detach from the ceiling structure permitting access above the ceiling panels. This disclosure completely conceals the grid and has no resilient means to secure the panels laterally.

U.S. Patent 3,900,997 discloses a lay-in ceiling system using panels having one side kerfed to permit easy removal of the panel by moving the opposite edge of the panel upward. There is no resilient means disclosed.

U.S. Patent 4,283,891 discloses a lay-in ceiling system using various metal spring clips to secure the panels into place and to allow downward access by shifting the panel laterally against the clip and then allowing it to lower. The clip is also used to eliminate the possibility of panels shifting and falling from the grid. However, the resilient 2 spring clips are used between the ceiling holding member and the outside unkerfed ceiling panels rather than between individual kerfed ceiling panels.

U.S. Patent 2,481,794 shows a lay-in ceiling which uses resilient spring clips to secure ceiling panels into position and allow easy access and removal while providing security in the grid structure. The clips are used between the ceiling holding members and the outside unkerfed ceiling panels rather than between individual kerfed ceiling panels.

The invention is a panel mounting system which uses at least two parallel support members. Each of the support members has at least one flange. The flange on each of two parallel support means face each other and the panel is positioned between the parallel support members and supported by the flanges. A resilient means positioned between one side of the panel and one support means holds the panel in position on the flange of the parallel support members. The flanges actually engage in kerfs cut in the edges of the ceiling panel. The mounting system is used by inserting one side of the panel with the resilient means onto the flange of one of the support members to compress the resilient means. This then permits the other flange on the opposite side of the panel to be inserted into the kerf on the opposite side of the panel and when the pressure on the resilient means is released, this will permit both flanges to engage both kerfs and keep the ceiling panel mounted between the two parallel support means.

Two forms of ceiling systems which are panel mounting systems according to the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a panel mounted between two support elements which are ceiling runners; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same structure as Fig. I but showing the resilient means in a compressed state which permits the disengagement of one flange with its kerf; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a different type of ceiling panel with a resilient spring means mounted thereon.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a panel mounting system which comprises at least two parallel support means 2 and 21. Each of the support means has at least one flange means shown as 4 and 41. The flange means 4 and 41 which will position a single panel in position face each other. The panel 6, either metal, fiberboard or other material, is positioned between the parallel support means 2 and 21 with the flange means 4 and 41 engaging two opposite sides 8 and 10 of the panel. Specifically, the flanges are inserted into kerfs 14 and 141. A resilient means 12 is positioned between one side of the panel 6 and one support means 21 to hold the panel in position on the flange means 4 and 41.

The kerfs 14 and 141 are cut or otherwise formed in the edge of the ceiling panel between an extension member 20 of the panel which is in the plane of the back of the ceiling panel and an extension member 22 which is in the plane of the front of the ceiling panel. The extension members 20, one on each side of the panel, rest on the horizontal flanges 4 and 41 and support the ceiling panel in position. The extension members 22 overlie all or a portion of the downward facing face of the flange means 4 and 4f to provide a total or partial concealment to the face of the horizontal flanges.

Fig. 2 is a showing of how the ceiling panel is mounted in position. The ceiling panel 6 has the kerf 141 engaged with the flange 41 and the panel is moved or pushed from the left to the right to compress resilient means 12. This then clears the extension 20 from the edge of the flange 4 so that the panel may be pushed in an upward position so that now the flange 4 is in position to slide into the kerf 14. Releasing the force which is holding the ceiling panel to the right will now permit the ceiling panel to slide to the left and the ceiling panel will then be in the position of the Fig. 1 showing where elements 20 on both sides of the panel will support the panel relative the flanges 4 and 41-The panel is removed by the reverse procedure. It is clear that the above provides an easy way to mount or remove panels.

As may be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the kerf 14 is shallower than the kerf 14f (as measured from the side faces of the respective extension members 20). Thus, in Fig. 1 the flange 4 engages the bottom of the kerf 14 while the flange 41 is still captive in the kerf 141, so that the panel 6 is supported at both sides. In Fig. 2, however, the flange 4 is freed from the kerf 14, so that the panel can be inserted or removed, before the flange 141 reaches the bottom of the kerf 41.

Fig. 3 is a showing of the edge of a ceiling panel if it was made from metal. The metal is bent to form the kerf 14. Element 5 is the same as the end of extension 20. Positioned on element 5 is resilient means 12 which is nothing more than a spring member. A clip 15 holds the spring member on element 5. Element 16 is the body of the spring which may be compressed by a force moving perpendicular thereto in the plane of the ceiling panel and element 18 is a tab which stabilizes the spring on element 5. The resilient means could be a piece of foam rubber, foam plastic or a resilient plastic strip or any other type of resilient structure which is capable of being slightly compressed. Naturally, a metal structure would use a clip 15 to hold the resilient means in position. This could be accomplished by the use of glue or any other fastening means, particularly when one would be looking at a conventional fiber ceiling panel or the ceiling panel as shown in Fig. 1.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A panel mounting system comprising at least two parallel support means, each with at least one flange means, said flange means on each two parallel support means facing each other, a panel positioned between said parallel support means and supported by said flange means engaging two opposite sides of the panel, and a resilient means positioned between one side of the panel and one support means to hold the panel in position on the flange means of the parallel support means.

2. A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said two opposite sides of the panel have kerfs in which the flange means are received when the panel is installed, and wherein the panel-can be displaced against the action of the resilient means far enough to free one said kerf from its respective said flange while the other said kerf is engaged on its respective said flange.

3. A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 2, wherein in normal use the bottom of the said one kerf is urged by the resilient means into engagement with the edge of its respective flange, preventing further lateral displacement of the panel, while the other side of the panel remains supported on its respective flange.

4. A ceiling system comprising a plurality of inverted Tshaped grid members each with a horizontal flange and a centrally located vertical grid, a plurality of ceiling panels supported from the grid members, each ceiling panel having a face surface, a back surface and at least two opposite shaped edges which complement the edges of adjacent ceiling panels to form a joint wherein two adjacent ceiling panels have shaped edges which complement each other and are supported from the same grid member, each ceiling panel has a first extension in the plane of the face surface of the panel and a second extension in the plane of the back surface of the ceiling panel on at least two opposite sides, the extension in the plane of the back surface of the panel supports the panel on the horizontal flanges of two adjacent grid members, the extension in the plane of the face surface of the panel overlies the horizontal flange and partially or totally conceals the horizontal flange from view, a kerf is cut between the two extensions on the edge of the panel, each kerf has placed therein a flange of one of the adjacent grid members so that the side of the panel is not capable of up and down movement relative to the flange member, but may be moved sideward off the flange member with compression of the resilient means.

5. A panel mounting system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A panel mounting system as claimed in claim 5, modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A set of parts for a panel mounting system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, the set comprising at least two support means and at least one panel.

8. A panel having resilient means at one side and suitable for use as a said panel in a panel mounting system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A panel as claimed in claim 8 having kerfs in the said one side and in the opposite side, the kerf in the opposite side being shallower than the effective stroke length of the resilient means and being shallower than the kerf in the said one side.