Adaptable ceiling tile system
An adaptable ceiling tile structure and a suspended ceiling system utilizing such ceiling tiles is disclosed. The basic ceiling tiles include a peripheral frame surrounding a single primary opening. A cover layer, such as a fabric or scrim may be stretched across the opening and attached to the frame with a support surface defining the primary plane of the cover layer and an offset portion defining a peripheral recess. The ceiling tile may be customized with premanufactured trim pieces that include end portions configured for insertion into the peripheral recess and an intermediate portion that can be attached to the cover layer. Once the trim piece is in place, a portion of the peripheral frame and the cover layer can be removed, typically by cutting, to complete the customized ceiling tile.
Related patent application Ser. No. 10/749,085, filed Dec. 30, 2003, entitled “Ceiling Tile” is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirerity.
TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITYThe present invention generally relates to suspended ceilings having a plurality of ceiling tiles supported by a structural grid and, more specifically, to an improved suspended ceiling system incorporating improved ceiling tiles that may be more easily adapted for fitting around other structures and obstructions during the installation of a suspended ceiling.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA number of different systems and structures have been developed for providing a drop or suspended ceiling in a room. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, suspended ceilings are spaced from a primary overhead structure such as ceiling joists or the underside of a reinforced concrete structure for establishing a substantially level and more aesthetically-pleasing ceiling for a finished space. Suspended ceiling provide improved flexibility for finishing a space over ceiling systems that are mounted directly to the primary overhead structure or furring strips or other attachment regions provided on the primary overhead structure. Suspended ceilings generally comprise a plurality of individual ceiling tiles with the individual tiles typically having a rectangular or square shape.
The composition of the individual ceiling tiles utilized in such systems have also been manufactured from many different materials such as pressed fibrous materials or synthetic polymers and synthetic resins that may be cast to form the tile body. The ceiling tiles may also be produced with at least one embossed or textured surface for improving the aesthetic appearance and/or improved sound absorption. An alternative type of ceiling tiles may be manufactured using a combination of a frame and a cover layer provided on and supported by the frame. One conventional construction of a ceiling tile incorporating a frame and a cover layer is illustrated in
Conventional suspending ceiling systems typically use a track system or grid assembly for supporting the individual tiles. It will be appreciated that proper installation of the ceiling tiles, the grid assembly and tiles will typically be configured to within a relatively narrow range of geometrical requirements. A conventional assembly will be configured so that the exposed faces of the ceiling tiles generally lie in a single plane and will be arranged in orderly arrays of rows and columns with some configurations providing for alternating rows or columns that may be offset from the adjacent columns by a predetermined uniform distance. In any event, the ceiling tiles are generally arranged such that a uniform pattern is created.
In addition, suspending ceiling systems must provide one or more methods for adapting the grid assembly and the ceiling tiles to accommodate obstructions or other alterations in the profile of the ceiling space at, for example, corners, pipes, ducts, pillars and the like, as well as around the perimeter of the ceiling space. In one conventional suspended ceiling system, a wall angle molding is attached around the inside perimeter of the walls at the height determined for the grid assembly. The grid assembly is then constructed using inverted “T-shaped” elements that are aligned with and attached to the wall angle molding. In most instances the grid elements are fabricated of metal and must be cut with tin snips, nibblers, metal saws or other suitable cutting instruments with any residual burrs and sharp edges being filed off before installation.
Conventional suspended ceiling construction systems utilizing suspended “T-bar” and/or “Z-bar” elements to form the grid for supporting the ceiling tiles have certain drawbacks including the exposed portions of the supporting grid element flanges that can tend to decrease the aesthetic qualities of the installed ceiling. Although this drawback may be addressed, at least in part, by using finished metal surfaces, there is an associated increase in the manufacturing costs. Various concealed grid assembly T-bar structures have developed for addressing this issue, but many of these solutions introduce other complications including ceiling tiles that are not easily removable and may require that one or more ceiling tiles be broken to gain access to the space above the suspending ceiling. Other designs incorporate additional latching and/or pivoting structures that allow one or more key tiles to be shifted or rotated from an installed position to an “open” position to provide access to the space above the ceiling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONDescribed herein is an adaptable ceiling tile utilizing that may be incorporated in a ceiling tile system. The basic ceiling tiles include a peripheral frame surrounding a single primary opening with the peripheral frame configured to provide a main portion providing a support surface and an offset portion providing an offset surface. A cover layer, such as a woven or non-woven fabric or a scrim may be stretched across the opening and attached to the frame with the support surface generally defining the plane of the portion of the cover layer that extends over the opening.
A peripheral recess will be formed between the cover layer and the offset surface of the frame. The ceiling tile may then be customized or adapted using one or more premanufactured trim pieces that include end portions configured for insertion into the peripheral recess and an intermediate portion that can be attached to and provide support for an underlying portion of the cover layer. Once the trim piece is in place, a portion of the peripheral frame and the cover layer can be removed, typically by cutting, to complete the customized ceiling tile which incorporates the trim piece as a portion of the modified tile periphery.
The trim pieces may be provided in a range of standard configurations including straight, curved or angled configurations so that the ceiling tiles can be easily adapted by installers to accommodate a wide range of obstructions such as pipes, columns, etc., that may interrupt the profile of the suspended ceiling.
As will be described in more detail below, the peripheral frame utilized in the ceiling tiles may be provided in a wide range of configurations. In one exemplary embodiment, the peripheral frame may include an extended portion for concealing at least a portion of the lower surface of the supporting grid and reducing the apparent spacing between adjacent ceiling tiles. The peripheral frame may also incorporate one or more of a variety of releasable retaining structures or elements that provide temporary attachment of the ceiling tile to the supporting grid.
The features and advantages of the present suspended ceiling system and adaptable ceiling tiles generally described above will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
These drawings have been provided to assist in the understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the invention as described in more detail below and should not be construed as unduly limiting the invention. In particular, the relative spacing, positioning, sizing and dimensions of the various elements illustrated in the drawings are not drawn to scale and may have been exaggerated, reduced or otherwise modified for the purpose of improved clarity.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that a range of alternative configurations have been omitted simply to improve the clarity and reduce the number of drawings. Similarly, those of ordinary skill will appreciate that certain of the various structural elements illustrated in the exemplary embodiments shown in
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An exemplary ceiling tile 100 according to the present invention is illustrated in
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Openings may be provided in the peripheral frame 102 for inserting a tool or a finger through the frame to contact and deflect the retaining element 112. The openings may, in turn, be concealed using a plug or an insert 102d for concealing the openings until needed. As an alternative to the openings, the peripheral frame 102 may incorporate a simple mechanism 116 for deflecting the retaining element 112 through actuation of an exposed button, slide, tab, fastener or other structure. As also illustrated in
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Although the invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art that many alternatives, modifications, and variations may be made to the disclosed structures and methods in a manner consistent with the detailed description provided above. In particular, it will be appreciated that although the cover layer has generally been described as a single element, the invention may be adapted to incorporate a plurality of cover layers, that may be the same or different, to allow the designer, engineer or user to adapt one or more properties of the ceiling tile, such as appearance, strength, opacity and/or acoustical performance. When more than one cover layer is included, one or more of the layers may be attached, adjacent or separated configurations relative to any adjacent layer(s). When more than one cover layer is included, the cover layers may be in a generally parallel orientation or one or more of the cover layers may have a more complex configurations, such as corrugations or catenary portions suspended between supporting elements. Also, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that certain aspects of the various disclosed exemplary embodiments could be used in combination with aspects of any of the other disclosed embodiments or their alternatives to produce additional, but not herein illustrated, embodiments incorporating the claimed invention but more closely adapted for an intended use or performance requirements. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An adaptable ceiling tile system comprising:
- a ceiling tile comprising a peripheral frame defining a single primary opening, the peripheral frame configured to provide a support surface and an offset surface; and
- a cover layer extending across the opening and onto the support surface, the cover layer cooperating with the offset surface to form a recess.
2. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, wherein:
- the cover layer is attached to the peripheral frame by one or more fastening methods selected from a group consisting of adhering, stapling, welding, crimping, pressing, retaining and stitching.
3. (canceled)
4. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, wherein:
- the peripheral frame is configured to allow deflection of the offset surface in a direction away from the cover layer.
5. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, wherein:
- the cover layer is a scrim (veil); and
- the peripheral frame is a polymeric composition.
6. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 5, wherein:
- the polymeric composition includes a reinforcing structure.
7. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, wherein:
- the peripheral frame includes a mounting surface, the mounting surface being offset from the supporting surface.
8. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, wherein:
- the peripheral frame includes a recess adjacent the supporting surface, the recess configured for receiving a retainer element for fixing the cover layer to the peripheral frame.
9. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a retaining structure extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to that of the cover layer; and
- an access opening provided in the peripheral frame for deflecting the retaining structure.
10. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a retaining structure extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to that of the cover layer; and
- a deflection element configured whereby movement of the deflection element will deflect the retaining structure.
11. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 7, further comprising:
- an extended portion of the peripheral frame for reducing the apparent separation between adjacent ceiling tiles.
12. (canceled)
13. A method of preparing a custom ceiling tile having a reduced opening comprising:
- obtaining a base ceiling tile, the base ceiling tile comprising a peripheral frame defining a single primary opening, the peripheral frame configured to provide a support surface and an offset surface, a cover layer extending across the opening and onto the support surface, the cover layer cooperating with the offset surface to form a recess;
- determining the necessary modifications to the primary opening required to produce the reduced opening;
- configuring a trim element for producing the reduced opening;
- inserting a portion of the trim element into the recess and attaching a contact surface to the cover layer to define a reduced periphery; and
- removing portions of the peripheral frame and cover layer that extend beyond the reduced periphery.
14. A method of preparing a custom ceiling tile having a reduced opening according to claim 13, wherein:
- the trim element is selected from standard configurations selected from a group consisting of straight, angled and curved trim elements.
15. A method of preparing a custom ceiling tile having a reduced opening according to claim 13, wherein:
- the trim element is selected from standard configurations selected from a group consisting of straight, right angle and arcuate trim elements.
16. A ceiling tile installation system comprising:
- a suspended grid configured for supporting a plurality of base ceiling tiles and a custom ceiling tile;
- base ceiling tiles having a regular polygonal shape periphery defined by a peripheral frame defining a single primary opening, the peripheral frame configured to provide a support surface and an offset surface, a cover layer extending across the opening and onto the support surface, the cover layer cooperating with the off-set surface to form a recess; and
- the custom ceiling tile having an irregular periphery formed by modifying a base ceiling tile by configuring a trim element and inserting a portion of the trim element into the recess and attaching a contact surface of the trim element to the cover layer to define the irregular periphery and removing portions of the peripheral frame and cover layer that extend beyond the irregular periphery to form the custom ceiling tile.
17. A ceiling tile installation system according to claim 16, further comprising:
- retaining structures provided on the ceiling tiles, the retaining structures cooperating with the suspended grid to maintain the position of installed ceiling tiles.
18. A ceiling tile installation system according to claim 17, wherein:
- openings are provided in the peripheral frames of the ceiling tiles for accessing and releasing the retaining structures to allow for ceiling tile removal.
19. A ceiling tile installation system according to claim 16, wherein:
- the peripheral frame have an extended portion configured for concealing a portion of the suspended grid and reducing an observed spacing between adjacent tiles.
20. An adaptable ceiling tile system comprising:
- a ceiling tile comprising a peripheral frame defining a single primary opening, the peripheral frame configured to provide a support surface and an offset surface; and
- a cover layer extending across the opening and onto the support surface, the cover layer cooperating with the offset surface to form a recess; and
- a trim element having a portion configured for insertion into the recess to define a reduced opening and a contact surface that can be attached to the cover layer.
21. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 20, wherein:
- the offset surface includes projecting structures for retaining the inserted portion of the trim element.
22. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 20, further comprising:
- a stop element extending from the offset surface toward the cover layer for limiting the movement of the portion of the trim element into the recess.
23. An adaptable ceiling tile system according to claim 20, wherein:
- the cover layer is a scrim (veil); and
- the peripheral frame is a polymeric composition.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 31, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 17, 2006
Inventors: Meghan Howard (Gahanna, OH), Daniel Hilfiker (Baraboo, WI), Ronald Mears (Baraboo, WI), Brian Wegner (Sun Prairie, WI), Wayne Steffen (Lavalle, WI)
Application Number: 11/047,313
International Classification: E04B 9/00 (20060101); E04B 2/00 (20060101);