GB2296516A

GB2296516A - Ceiling hangers

Info

Publication number: GB2296516A
Application number: GB9526065A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rex Ridley
Original assignee: A1 CEILING HANGERS
Current assignee: A1 CEILING HANGERS
Priority date: 1994-12-20
Filing date: 1995-12-20
Publication date: 1996-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2015-12-20
Also published as: GB9526065D0; GB2296516B

Abstract

Ceiling hangers have downwardly depending legs (14), and are shaped so that they can be formed economically from a strip of sheet material. A body (12), and a hook portion (16) have substantially the same outline as that defined between the legs and the body. The hook portion may have a keying protrusion (18), and a number of hangers may be mounted on a strip (104). (Fig. 6, not shown). Nailing apertures (20) are provided in the legs for attaching the ceiling battens. <IMAGE>

Description

Ceiling Hanging Devices The invention which is the subject of the present application relates to a particular form of hanging device for use in the building industry wherein the hanging device is of an improved form and also includes an improved method for forming the same.

In the construction of buildings it is increasingly the case that the floors of the same are formed by placing a plurality of precast concrete beams spaced along the floor area and then placing precast concrete blocks or slabs to lie between and be supported by, the beams. In this manner, the floor is formed. When the floor formed is other than the ground floor it is necessary for the ceiling for the room below to also be formed and supported from the beams of the floor above. The ceiling is typically formed from a series of plaster board panels which are nailed onto wooden battens mounted on the bottom of the construction of the floor above. However, when the floor above is formed using the precast concrete products described there is nothing available to which the ceiling battens can be securely attached.To overcome this problem hanging devices are used which are known as ceiling hangers.

These hangers are formed from sheet metal and have a hook portion which hooks onto the precast concrete beam and a downwardly extending portion which includes two legs, each leg typically having a plurality of location holes formed therein.

In use, the ceiling hangers are positioned at spaced intervals along the precast concrete beams with the hook portion of the hangers locating the same on the beams and the said hook portions held in location by placing the concrete blocks onto the beams and to lie on the hook portions. The wooden battens are then brought into engagement with the downwardly extending legs of the hangers and screws or nails used to secure the battens to the hangers by placing the nails or screws through the appropriate location holes and into the battens. Once the battens are held in position plaster board panels which are to be used to form the ceiling for the room are nailed onto the battens and hence the ceiling is formed.

There are several disadvantages with the conventional ceiling hangers. The first disadvantage is that the hook portions of the same can be susceptible to slip or even fall off when placed on the beam and, if the slippage occurs, the ceiling hanger is then in an incorrect position for the securing of the battens thereto. A second disadvantage is the production of the same from sheet metal as, in some instances in order to obtain the required shape of the hanging device, more than one piece of sheet metal is required to be formed and then the pieces formed together to form the hanger which is inconvenient and time consuming or, alternatively, the hanging device is stamped out from a sheet metal plate which causes a substantial amount of wastage of the excess metal to occur.

A further disadvantage of the known devices is that, when a plurality of the hanging devices are provided to attach battens thereto, there is a disadvantage wherein when the devices are to be put in place to hang from the beams above, it is done by the construction workers who are forming the floor. They arrange the hanging devices so that at least the legs of the devices are protruding below the floor beams so that the persons who are to form the ceiling can attach the battens and, for example, plaster board thereto underneath.

However, if the persons placing the hanging devices in position from above do not accurately space the hanging devices then problems are created in that the persons below who are to form the ceiling cannot accurately predict the location of the hanging devices and, if they are placed in the wrong position, the battens cannot be put into place and the ceiling cannot be formed. Furthermore, once the hanging devices are in place between the beams and the members of the floor it is extremely difficult to move them due to the weight of the construction elements and therefore this can be a very time consuming and frustrating problem for the persons forming the ceiling below.

A first aim of the present invention is to provide a hanging device of a design which improves the ability of the hook portion of the same to be securely held in position during use, thereby improving the ease of use of the same. A second aim is to provide that the hanging device are of a shape which allows the manufacture the same by a method whereby improved efficiency in terms of use of material and speed of manufacture of the devices from a strip of sheet metal can be achieved.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a means whereby the hanging devices can be spaced in a predetermined manner prior to the same being put into position on the floor beams.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a hanging device for suspension from a floor component to allow a ceiling component to be secured thereto, said hanging device comprising a body portion, at least two leg portions depending downwardly from said body portion and a hook portion and, wherein the hanging device is of a shape such that the outline of the space defined between the downwardly depending legs is at least partially, substantially the same as the outline of the hook and body portions.

In one embodiment, the hook and body portions are substantially T-shaped to allow the outline of the hook and body portions to be identical to the outline of the space defined between the downwardly depending legs.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method for forming a plurality of hanging devices from a strip of sheet material comprising the steps of, placing the sheet material strip into a forming press, passing the strip through the forming press to form a plurality of hanging device blanks on said strip and wherein the blanks are pressed to a shape such that for each blank at least a portion of the metal pressed out between the downwardly depending legs of each hanging device forms at least part of the hook and body portion of the previous, or following, hanging device blank.

In a preferred embodiment, the hanging devices are so shaped such that the pressing action which defines the outline of the space between the downwardly depending legs of the devices also defines the outline of the hook and body portions and, in this embodiment, there is no wastage of metal at all if the width of the strip of sheet material is first formed to match the desired width of the hanging device.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hanging device to be suspended from a floor component to allow a ceiling batten to be secured thereto, said hanger comprising a body portion, a plurality of legs depending downwardly from the body portion and a hook portion, said hook portion attached to the upper edge of said body portion and angularly disposed thereto and wherein there is provided at least on the hook portion, at least one protrusion for locating the hook portion on the floor component from which it is suspended and/or another floor component adjacent thereto.

In one embodiment, the hook portion of the device is located on a precast concrete floor beam and the protrusion is provided to locate with a precast concrete block or slab placed on the beam and on top of the hook portion. In this embodiment the protrusion is upwardly facing.

Preferably the protrusion is further located in the block or slab by hammering the device such that the protrusion is forced into the block or slab to locate therewith.

In an alternative embodiment, the protrusion can be provided to be downwardly facing and the same hammered to locate the same onto the concrete beam from which the device is suspended.

In one preferred embodiment the protrusion is formed as part of the sheet metal hook portion.

Typically the downwardly depending legs are provided with the plurality of location apertures such that, in use, the batten which is secured between the legs can be located by placing screws or nails through the same and into the batten.

Typically the hanging device of the invention is formed from a single piece of sheet metal formed to the required shape.

In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a system for forming a ceiling suspended from the floor or roof members above, said system comprising a plurality of hanging devices, each of said hanging devices provided with an engagement means for engaging the device on a strip of material and wherein said hanging devices are engaged with a strip of material at spaced intervals therealong, prior to placing the hanging devices in position for use on the floor components above.

Typically the hanging devices are of the form as described previously wherein they comprise a body portion, at least one downwardly depending leg when the device is in position and a hook portion which allows the device to be suspended from the floor component above.

Typically the material strip is a flexible strip of, for example, textiles material or, alternatively a plastic material which is relatively slim in form.

Preferably the engagement means comprise a U-shaped, cut flap which can be moved outwardly from the plane of the hanging device to allow the strip to be moved into position between the flap and the hanging device and, when in the correct position, the flap can be pressed back to lie substantially in the plane of the hanging device to trap the strip in that position.

In use, a plurality of said hanging devices are positioned at predetermined spaced intervals along the strip of material such that the same can then be positioned on each of the respective components of the floor such as the beams and preferably in a linear direction so that the spcing of the hanging devices is predetermined and thereby eases the use of the same by the persons assembly the ceiling underneath.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided the hanging device incorporating a hook portion, a body portion depending downwardly therefrom and at least two downwardly extending legs and wherein the body includes engagement means formed therein for the engagement of strip material therewith.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hanging device comprising a body portion, a hook portion and three downwardly depending legs from the body portion which comprise two spaced legs and a further leg provided intermediate said two, wherein the intermediate leg is provided with at least one hole formed therein to allow the passage of wiring or cable therethrough.

Typically the two outer legs are provided with a plurality of apertures therein for location of securing means therethrough to allow battens to be secured thereto.

When the legs of the device are of a suitable length they may be bent around the batten to be attached thereto and the ends of the legs secured together to trap the batten therebetween.

In one embodiment a plastic tie can be used to secure the ends of the legs.

In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a clip for use in the forming of a ceiling suspended from the floor construction above, said clip for use in conjunction with the plurality of hanging devices to which battens are secured and wherein the clips are secured to the battens at points intermediate the hanging devices and comprise, at one end, a means for engagement with the floor component and, at the other end, means for engagement with the batten.

Typically the clips are provided to allow the batten to be securely located at points intermediate the hanging devices and, in particular, if the hanging devices are suspended from floor components which have a relatively wide span, the provision of a clip intermediate the hanging devices prevents the batten from being flexible or having a "bounce" when attempts are made to secure the plasterboard panels which form the ceiling to the battens.

In one embodiment the clip includes a resilient engagement member at one end which flexes inwardly when passed into an aperture in the floor element and flexes outwardly when in, or once passed through, said aperture to securely locate the clip to the floor element.

In one embodiment the floor components are made of concrete and are hollow and the aperture passes into the hollow section so that the resilient member flexes outwardly and lies in the hollow section to prevent the same from passing through the aperture to release the same.

Typically the clips can be made of wire or plastics material and it is envisaged that the clips of this type will have other advantageous uses when used in conjunction with hollow section concrete developments to attach other elements thereto.

In a further aspect of the invention the hanging device is formed from a substantially four sided piece of sheet metal, said piece having two slits to define leg portions and wherein said piece is folded along a line perpendicular to said slits to form the hanging device blank.

Typically the device is blank is folded along a second line substantially perpendicular to the first to form a hook portion.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a flooring and ceiling layout in which the hanging device of the invention can be used; Figure 2 illustrates a hanging device of the invention in a first embodiment; Figure 3 illustrates a hanging device of the invention in a second embodiment; Figure 4 illustrates a method of forming the hanging devices of the first embodiment; Figure 5 illustrates the formation of the hanging device of Figure 3 in a strip of metal; Figure 6 illustrates the plurality of hanging devices spaced according to a further aspect of the invention; Figure 7 illustrates a hanging device according to Figure 6 in elevation; Figure 8 illustrates a hanging device according to Figure 7 in end elevation; ; Figure 9 illustrates a hanging device according to a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 10 illustrates a clip of a further aspect of the invention in use; Figures 1LA and llB illustrate further embodiment of the clip; Figure 12 illustrates a further embodiment of a hanging device blank; Figure 13 illustrates the blank of Figure 12 on a hanging device form; and Figure 14 illustrates the legs of a device used to encircle a batten.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a partially finished flooring and ceiling construction of the type with which the hanging devices of the invention can typically be used. The construction comprises a number of spaced precast concrete beams 2 and in this case the beams are T-shaped and spaced apart a distance such that a series of concrete blocks 4 can be placed between the beams and supported thereby to form the floor. In addition to forming a floor it is also necessary to form a ceiling if there is a room below the floor. To enable this a series of hanging devices 8 of one embodiment of the invention are suspended at spaced intervals from the beams 2 as shown. The laying of the concrete blocks onto the beams and hence trapping the devices 6 helps to secure the same in position.The devices are provided with locating legs, described in more detail later, and battens 9 are attached to said legs. A plurality of hanging devices and battens attached thereto are spaced along the area to form a framework to which plasterboard panels 10 which form the base of the ceiling, are attached. Thus the floor and ceiling can be formed in this manner and the formation of the same in this way is becoming increasingly popular as supplies of timber become more expensive.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate two embodiments of the hanging devices according to the invention. The hanging devices comprise a body portion 12, two downwardly depending legs 14 and a hook portion 16. The legs can be placed in the same plane as the body portion as shown in Figure 2 or, if the batten to be attached thereto is to run perpendicularly to the beam upon which the hanger is suspended, the leg portions can be twisted to lie perpendicularly to the body portion 12 as shown in Figure 3. The hook portion 16 is formed to have at least part of the same lie in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the body portion 12. It is the hook portion which engages with the precast beams 2 and allows the devices to be suspended therefrom. In this part of the invention the hook portions 16 are provided with a protrusion 18 formed therein.

To use the devices it is first required that the correct length of device is selected. In this case the device of Figure 3 would be selected for use with a T-shaped beam of Figure 1 wherein the device of Figure 2 which has a longer body portion 12, would be used with a beam which was square sectioned without location ledges and therefore the body portion is required to be longer as the hook portion is located at the top face of the beam. With the correct device selected the hook portion is then placed onto the beam at the required location and with a series of devices in position the wooden batten can be secured to the arms 14 by passing screws or nails through the appropriate location apertures 20 and into the batten.Before, or after, the batten is secured to the concrete blocks and slabs 4 are placed onto the beam serving to cover over and exert a force on the hook portions of the devices. The protrusions 18 are provided on the hook portions to provide improved engagement of the hook portions with the slabs and blocks and this is achieved by hammering the devices such that the protrusions are brought into gripping contact with the slabs or blocks thereby securing the same in position.

A further aspect of the invention is described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 wherein a method of forming and shaping the devices shown in Figures 2 and 3 is described. Referring firstly to Figure 4 there is shown in schematic form a method of forming the device of Figure 2 wherein a strip of sheet metal 22 is introduced as indicated by arrow 24 toward a pressing station 26 which as it passes therethrough exerts a cutting action 27, 28, 30 on a material 22 to form the device outline, protrusion 18 and location apertures 20 respectively. As the device in this case is of a particular form the material once cut and separated can immediately be passed to a folding station wherein the fold line indicated by a broken line 31 can be formed to form the hook portion 16.Importantly, the device is so shaped in this case that, with the exception of the metal punched out to form the location apertures 20, none of the metal is wasted in forming the devices from the strip. The hook and body portions are formed from the metal which, when the devices are separated, defines the space between the legs 14.

Figure 5 illustrates a pressed strip of material for forming the devices of Figure 3 and in this case, the same principle of forming the majority of the hook and body portions from the metal between the legs 14 of the previous device is followed. However, in this case there is some wasted material 32 which is caused by the requirement of the legs 14 to be longer than the required length of the body and hook portions.

In both cases the method of forming the ceiling hanging devices which include the specific shaping of the same as described, represents considerable savings in wasted material and information time over the conventional methods where each device is manufactured from a separate piece of sheet material with the punched out material discarded. In the current invention there is a minimum of discarded material and a plurality of devices can be made in the time previously required to make one.

Referring now to Figure 6 there is shown a plurality of hanging devices 102 each of which are attached at a fixed position to a length of strip material 104 and each of the hanging devices is provided at spaced intervals defined by the reference letter X. Thus, the hanging devices can then be fixed in position to be suspended from the construction elements such as the beams of the floor, at regular and predetermined intervals along the said floor so that the persons forming the ceiling below can confidently and accurately predict the location of said hanging devices.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate one of said hanging devices 102 and the device comprises a hook portion 106 which allows the same to be suspended from the construction members, a body portion 108 and at least two downwardly depending leg portions 110 and 112. The body portion includes formed therein engagement means 114 which are provided in the form of a U-shaped flap 116 which can be moved to a position away from the plane of the body as shown in Figure 8 and, in this position, the strip material 104 can be moved into location between the flap 116 and the body 108. In providing the desired arrangement the hanging devices are moved along the strip material until the required spacing is achieved between the adjacent hanging devices. When the correct spacing is achieved, the flap 116 is pressed or otherwise moved back to lie substantially in the same plane as the body portion 108 and hence trap the strip material between the flap 116 and the body portion 108 and thus the hanging device is securely and accurately fixed in position on the strip material 104.

A further advantage of the form of hanging device shown in this particular embodiment is that the hanging device can still be manufactured as part of an integral manufacturing process wherein, for example, the space defined between the two downwardly depending legs 110, 112 is the same shape as the outline of the hook and body portion 106 and thereby a minimum of material is wasted by pressing the same out of sheet material as described previously.

Arranging the devices together in this manner has not previously been done but enables the persons placing the devices to push them between the beams from above and pull them in a taut line to allow the vital precise spacing between the devices which is required to be achieved.

Referring now to Figure 9 there is shown a hanging device 202 according to a further aspect of the invention wherein the hanging device includes, in addition to the two downwardly depending legs 210, 212; which are formed in the same way as legs 110 and 112 in Figures 7 and 8, a third, intermediate leg 224 is provided. This leg is provided with at least one aperture 226 which is of a dimension to allow a cable or wire to be passed therethrough and provides a location means for cabling and wiring which is mounted between the floor and ceiling and therefore the hanging device, in addition to acting as a means to allow the ceiling to be formed, also acts as a trunking means for cabling and wiring which is positioned between the ceiling and the floor.

Referring now to Figures 10 and 11A and llB there is shown a clip according to a further aspect of the invention.

The clip 301 comprises a body 304 with, at one end, resilient engagement members 306 and at the other end means 308 for engaging the clips to a batten. The clips are made of wire in Figures llA and of plastic in Figure llB. Figure 10 shows one such clip in use wherein the clip 301 is engaged by means of resilient engagement members 306 in an aperture 310 drilled in the floor element 312 which in this case is a concrete hollow core slab. The resilient members 306 pass into the hollow section to locate therein. At this stage the batten 314 is already attached to hanging devices 302 suspended form each end of the floor element 312 and the clip 301 is located intermediate the two and attached to the batten by means of a nail which passes through the engaging means 308.The provision of the clip allows the batten 314 to be located and prevented from "bouncing" when plaster board panels are nailed thereto to form the ceiling.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate a further embodiment wherein the hanging device 402 is formed from a blank 404 which is rectangular in shape with two slots 406, 408 formed therein and a plurality of apertures 410 and thus a minimum of material wastage occurs. To form the device 402 from the blank as shown in Figure 13 the body portion 412 is formed by folding about the fold line 414 which leaves the portions with the apertures 410 as the leg portions 416, 418. The body is then folded about fold line 420 to form the hook portion 422.

Figure 14 illustrates the manner in which the legs 502, 504 of a device can be placed around a batten 506 and the ends of the same joined together by a tie 508.

Thus all of the aspects of the invention as herein described provide distinct advantages in their own right and, particularly, in combination to form hanging devices which on their own are advantageous over the prior art and, when combined to form a hanging system provide yet further advantages.

Claims

1. A hanging device for suspension from a floor component of a building to allow a ceiling component to be secured thereto, said device comprising a body portion, at least two leg portions depending downwardly from said body portion and a hook portion and wherein the hanging device is of a shape such that the outline of the space defined between the leg portions and body portion is at least substantially the same as at least part of the outline of the hook and body portions of the device.

2. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the hook and body portions are substantially T-shaped to allow the outline of the hook and body portions to be identical to the outline of the space defined between the downwardly depending legs and body portion.

3. A hanging device to be suspended from a floor component to allow a ceiling batten to be secured thereto, said hanging device comprising a body portion, a plurality of legs depending downwardly from the body portion and the hook portion, said hook portion attached to the upper edge of said body portion and angularly disposed thereto and wherein there is provided at least on the hook portion, at least one protrusion for locating the hook portion on the floor component from which it is suspended and/or another floor component adjacent thereto.

4. A hanging device according to Claim 3 wherein the hook portion of the device is located on a precast concrete floor beam and the protrusion is provided to locate with the precast concrete block or slab placed on the beam and on top of the hook portion.

5. A hanging device according to Claim 3 wherein the protrusion is provided to be downwardly facing and the same is hammered to locate the same onto the concrete beam from which the device is suspended.

6. A hanging device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the downwardly depending legs are provided with a plurality of location apertures therein for the selected location therewith of securing means for the ceiling component.

7. A hanging device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the said device is provided with a third downwardly depending leg intermediate the other two legs wherein the intermediate leg is provided with at least one aperture formed therein.

8. A hanging device according to Claim 7 wherein the two outer legs are provided with a plurality of apertures for the location of securing means therethrough.

9. A hanging device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the downwardly depending legs of the device are of a length such that they may be bent around ceiling component to be attached thereto and the ends of the legs secured together to trap the component therebetween.

10. A hanging device according to Claim 9 wherein a tie is used to secure the ends of the legs around the component.

11. A hanging device according to any of the preceding claims wherein the hanging device incorporates a hook portion, a body portion, legs depending downwardly from said body portion and wherein the body includes engagement means formed therein for the engagement of a strip material therewith.

12. A system for forming a ceiling of a building suspended from the floor or roof members above said system comprising a plurality of hanging devices, each of said hanging devices provided with an engagement means for engaging the device on a strip of material and wherein said hanging devices are engaged with the strip of material at spaced intervals therealong, prior to placing the hanging devices in position on the floor components from which they are suspended.

13. A system according to Claim 12 wherein the hanging devices are of a form as described in any of the claims previously having a body portion, at least one downwardly depending leg from the body portion and a hook portion which allows the device to be suspended from the floor component above.

14. A system according to Claim 12 wherein the material strip is a flexible strip of any of textiles material or plastics material.

15. A system according to any of the preceding claims wherein the engagement means of the hanging device is a Ushaped cut flap which can be moved outwardly from the plane of the hanging device to allow the strip to be moved into position and, when the strip is in position, the flap is pressed back to lie substantially in the plane of the hanging device to trap the strip in position.

16. A system according to any of Claims 12 to 15 wherein the system includes a plurality of hanging devices positioned at predetermined spaced intervals along the strip of material such that the same are positioned on the required components of the floor which are spaced across the floor.

17. A method for forming a plurality of hanging devices from a strip of sheet material comprising the steps of, placing the sheet material strip into a cutting means, passing the strip through the cutting means to form a plurality of hanging device blanks on said strip and wherein the blanks are cut to a shape such that for each blank at least a portion of the material cut between the legs of each hanging device forms at least part of the hook and body portion of the previous, or following, hanging device blank.

18. A method according to Claim 17 wherein the cutting means is a forming press.

19. A method according to Claim 17 wherein the hanging device blanks are shaped such that the pressing action which defines the outline of the space between the legs of the device also defines the outline of the hook and body portions of an adjacent device and the width of the strip of sheet material used is cut to match the desired width of the hanging device formed.

20. A method according to Claim 17 wherein each hanging device is formed from a single piece of sheet metal formed to the required shape.

21. A method of forming a hanging device comprising the steps of cutting a substantially four sided piece of sheet metal, cutting two slits spaced apart but in parallel to define leg portions, folding said sheet metal about a first fold line defined substantially adjacent the ends of the slits to define leg portions and a body portion and folding the body portion about a second fold line to define a hook portion therein.

22. Apparatus for forming a ceiling suspended from a floor construction above, comprising a plurality of hanging devices provided at spaced intervals along said ceiling and suspended from the floor components above; ceiling components attached to said hanging devices and ceiling boards attached to said ceiling components and wherein the apparatus further includes a plurality of clips provided at spaced intervals intermediate the said hanging devices and wherein said clips are secured to the ceiling components and comprise, at one end, a means for engagement with a floor component and, at the other end, means for engagement with the ceiling component.

23. Apparatus according to Claim 21 wherein the clips include a resilient engagement member at one end which flexes inwardly when passed into an aperture in a floor element and flexes outwardly when in, or once passed through, said aperture to securely locate the clip to the floor element.

24. A hanging device; method of forming the same, apparatus, and system for forming a ceiling as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.