US3450871A

US3450871A - Baffle support for suspended ceiling construction

Info

Publication number: US3450871A
Application number: US640885A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur W Segil; Richard N White
Original assignee: ARTHUR W SEGIL; RICHARD N WHITE
Current assignee: ARTHUR W SEGIL; RICHARD N WHITE
Priority date: 1967-05-24
Filing date: 1967-05-24
Publication date: 1969-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 1986-06-17

Description

June 17, 1969 w, 5EG|L ETAL BAFFLE SUPPORT FOR SUSPENDED CEILING CONSTRUCTION 1967 Sheet Filed May 24 INVENTORS W. SEGIL ARTHUR RICHARD N. WHITE 2am? ATTORNEY June 17, 1969 w SEG|| ETAL 3,450,871

BAFFLE SUPPORT FOR SUSPENDED CEILING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 24, 1967 Sheet of 2 INVENTORS ARTHUR W SEGIL RICHARD N. WHITE ATTORNEY 3,450,871 BAFFLE SUPPORT FOR SUSPENDED CEILING CONSTRUCTION Arthur W. Segil, 1209 Lincoln Ave., South Highland Park, Ill. 60035, and Richard N. White, 1300 Lee St., Des Plaines, Ill. 60016 Filed May 24, 1967, Ser. No. 640,885 Int. Cl. F21s 3/00; E04f 19/00 U.S. Cl. 240-9 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Suspended ceilings are constructed to supply lighting and conditioned air to the space below, and where the space is divided by partitions into smaller units, not only must ventilation be supplied to smaller areas, but in many cases special communication equipment and auxiliary light. The suspended ceiling structure is required to provide the necessary space for both low and high voltage wiring for these purposes.

However, modern electrical construction codes require high and low voltage wiring to be isolated from each other, and heretofore conventional suspended ceilings have not been compatible with the needs for both kinds of wiring. It is to the provision of baffle supports for suspended ceiling construction capable of accommodating both kinds of wiring that this application is especially directed.

With the foregoing considerations in mind it is a principal object of this invention to provide a ceiling baflle support for accommodating both high and low voltage wiring for electrical load devices supported by the baflle supports, and for electrical load devices in the space below the structure.

An ancillary object is to provide a baflle support having a pair of wireways therein which selectively may be isolated from each other, so that each wireway may have power leads therein at a particular potential different from the other.

Yet another object is to provide a baflle support having a wireway therein for leads supplying power to elongated fluorescent luminaries extending between a pair of such baflle supports, such wireway being characterized by structure for supporting and locating a receptacle for supporting the luminaire.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a typical module of a suspended ceiling structure having the improvements according to the present invention embodied therein;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of a pair of baflle supports for each suspended ceiling;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken through a main bafile support and baflle of the module seen in FIG. 1, looking at the sides of the cross batfles and cross baffle supports intersecting such main baflle;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken through a cross baflle of the module seen in FIG. 1, looking at the side of a main baffle intersecting such cross bafile, and a ventilating bafiie intersecting such cross baflle; and

nited States Patent 3,450,871 Patented June 17, 1969 FIG. 5 is a detail vertical cross sectional view through a main bafile support showing an upper wireway for the main baflie, and showing a fluorescent luminaire ballast transformer secured in the upper wireway.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the improvements according to the present invention are embodied in a typical module of a suspended ceiling construction denoted by the reference numeral 10 and consisting of laterally spaced main baflles 11 and laterally spaced cross baflles 12. The latter may be joined at each end to the end of a main baflie 1-1 in a manner as is shown in an application of Segil and White, Ser. No. 558,723, filed June 20, 1966 for Suspended Ceiling Construction. A ventilating baffle 13 extends in parallel relationship to the main baffles 11, and midway therebetween, between the two cross baflles 12, and may be constructed as is seen in Segil and White application Ser. No. 558,770, filed June 20, 1966, now Patent No. 3,361,050 for Ventilating Battle for Suspended Construction.

Luminaires 14 extend between the cross baffles 12 in parallel relationship to the ventilating bafile 13 and main bafile 11, and generally midway therebetween. Reflecting or diffusing baflles 16 may extend between a main baffle 11 and ventilating baflfle 13 in a manner well known in the art, for the purpose generally of concealing the luminaire 14. The manner of securing such reflecting or diffusing baffles 16 at their ends to the main baflies 11 and the ventilating baflles 13 form no part of the present invention.

The main and

cross baffles

11 and 12 are adapted to be supported from extrusions of light weight metal, such as aluminum, as seen particularly in FIG. 2. A main baflle support MBS comprises a box section 17 having spaced

vertical sides

18 and 19 and a lower connecting bottom web 21. The top of the box section 17 is partly closed by a pair of inturned

webs

22 and 23, each being provided with a downward extension 24, and defining a slot 20 therebetween. The box section 17 is flanked by

flanges

26 and 27 spaced from

respective walls

18 and 19 of box section 17 and integrally connected thereto by

webs

28 and 29. Stiffener flanges 31 extend outward from each of the

flanges

26 and 27.

The two inturned

webs

22 and 23 are adapted to support a closure plate 32 having spaced clips 33 adapted frictionally to engage the downward extensions 24 to close the slot 20 of the box section 17 and thereby define a lower wireway LWW.

The tops of the

spaced flanges

26 and 27 are adapted to support a cover 34 having snap flanges 36 along the sides thereof engageable with the outer sides of the spaced

flanges

26 and 27. The cover 34, the spaced

flanges

26 and 27, and the closure plate 32 thereby define an upper wireway UWW.

The two wireways LWW and UWW may carry leads at diflerential potentals, such leads being effectively isolated from each other by the closure plate 32 for box section 17.

As seen in FIG. 5, the

webs

22 and 23 may be adapted to support a ballast transformer BT which can be held in position by a holding nut and bolt assembly 37, extending through the slot 20, said assembly being adapted to engage with the extensions 24 to hold transformer ET in place. The ballast transformer BT may have the secondary thereof provided with leads, not shown, extending into the wireway LWW.

A cross baflle support XBS for the cross bafile 12 consists of a vertical central web 38 intersected by a hori zontal flange 39 having the sides thereof provided with spaced depending flanges 41. The central web 38 is flanked by divergent side members 42, each having a lower element 43 which is stitched to the central web 38 by rivets 44.

Each of such side members 42 is coextensive with a section comprising a certical flange 46 having a stiffener rib 47 extending along the outer face thereof. Each of such vertical flanges 46 has an inward facing ledge or rib 48 with a downturned extension 49, defining a slot 50, and defining with the divergent side members 42 a partly closed lower wireway XLWW. Such wireway XLWW can be completely closed along the upper extremities thereof by a wireway divider 51, closing the slot 50, and similar to the closure plate 32 Seen with reference to main baffie support MBS.

The tops of the spaced flanges 46 are adapted to support a cover 52, similar to the cover 34 for the main bafile support MBS, previously described. The wireway divider 51, the cover 52 and the flanges 46 define an upper cross bafile wireway XUWW. The two wireways XLWW and XUWW may enclosed leads at different potentials effectively isolated from each other.

The main baffle support MBS and the cross baffle support XBS are joined at their ends to a support spider 53 arranged as a cruciform as seen in FIG. 2, with flat arms 54. Stilfener ribs 56 extend upward from the arms 54. Each of the arms 54 is held against the flat inturned

webs

22 and 23 of main baffle support MBS, and against the ledges or ribs 48 of cross bafiie section XBS by means of a securing nut 57 and bolts 58, the nut 57 spanning the slot or as the case may be. Nut 57 has grooves 59 engageable with the downward extensions 24 of

webs

22 and 23 and the extensions 49 of ribs 48. The bolts 58 extend through apertures 59 in the arms 54, and the spider 53 has a central aperture 61 for a hanger bolt 62 having a swivel connection 63 to an adjustable hanger system 64, in turn connected to an overhead structure, not shown.

The baffle support structures MBS and XBS thus far described are respectively adapted to support the main baffle 11 and the cross baflie 12. Each such baflie is constructed substantially as seen in Segil et al. application Ser. No. 558,723, filed June 20, 1966, which application discloses interlocking end members to define when in interlocking relationship, a corner post at the intersection of the main and cross baffles.

In the case of the cross bafile 12, it is provided with an end interlocking member 66, see FIG. 4, having an L- shaped bracket 67 riveted at 68 to the inner face of end member 66 with an horizontal leg 68 riveted at 69 to the lower flange 39 of the cross baffle support XBS. The skin 71 of cross baffle 12 extends only to the top of the flange 39 and embraces the depending flanges 41.

In the case of main bafile 11, it likewise is provided with an end interlocking member 72 adapted to interlock with end member 66 of cross baffle 12, and sides 73 movable into abutting relationship with the

sides

18 and 19 of the main bafl le support MBS. The interlocking end member 72 of baffle 11 is likewise provided with a bracket 74 riveted thereto at 76, and having an horizontal leg 77. A bolt 78 is secured to leg 77 and passes through an aperture 79 in the bottom web 21 and a nut 81 engaged with bolt 78 is reached through the slot 20 between the spaced

webs

22 and 23, as seen in FIG. 3.

In lieu of a main baffle 11, as seen in FIG. 4, ventilating baflle 13 may be provided, and secured to the support spide 53 as previously described. Such ventilating bafile may be constructed as seen in Segil et al. application Ser. No. 558,770 filed June 20, 1966.

The cross baffle support XBS has the divergent webs 42 notched at 85 to received a receptacle 83 for the fluorescent tube 14, as seen in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 4 also, the central web 38 of cross baffle support XBS is provided with a pair of spaced lands 86 spaced a distance corresponding to a widegroove 87 on the back face of the receptacle 83 By reason of the wide notch for the receptacle 83 and the spaced lands on the web 38, the receptacle is properly located. The dimensions of the receptacle 83 are such as to fit snugly between the central web 38 and vertical elements 84 of the diverging side members 42. The receptacle 83 is moved to position with a snap action by the resilience of the vertical elements 84. The lands 8 6 resist any downward force by reason of the weight of the luminaires 14, and they may additionally be cemented in place by epoxy or other cement.

By reason of the structure herein described, voltages of different potentials can be effectively isolated from each other. For example, the upper wireways UWW and XUWW can be employed for high voltage leads, while the lower wireways LWW and XLWW can be employed for low voltage leads. If desired, either or both may be employed for leads carrying control voltages for equipment located below the structure described. For example, the cross and main baffles disclosed may in certain cases be disposed on room dividers, not shown. The baffles, being hollow, can have the necessary leads pass therethrough from the baffie supports MBS or XBS.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, its scope is scope is intended to be limited only by the claims here appended.

We claim:

1. In a grid of a suspended ceiling, a pair of spaced parallel baffle supports, an elongated luminary extending between said parallel baffie supports, each of said baffle supports having a vertical central web, side members diverging from said central web, a notch in said diverging side members, and a receptacle positioned in said notch and supported therein for supporting one end of said elongated luminary.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said diverging side members have elements flanking said central web and spaced from the same, and wherein said receptacle is held between said central web and one of said flanking elements and within said notch.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said central web is provided with horizontal lands spaced a distance corresponding to a slot in said receptacle to locate said receptacle on said vertical web.

4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said receptacle is slidable to position between said central web and said one flanking element and wherein said one flanking member and said horizontal land locate said receptacle on said vertical web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,321,878 5/1967 Brown et al. 52-220 3,359,697 12/1967 Smith et al. 52-506 3,361,050 6/1966 Segil et al 98-40 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

S. D. BURKE, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 52-506, 588, 28