ELECTRONIC COMPONENT CEILING MOUNTING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Techniques described herein relate to integrating an electronic component into a ceiling mount in a ceiling tile system so as to maintain the aesthetic integrity of the ceiling while providing a suitable structural system to secure the equipment into the ceiling. The techniques further include one or more apparatuses having a cutting element for efficiently cutting the specified tile to accommodate the electronic component ceiling mount.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/958,790, filed Jan. 9, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDEquipment for wireless products is commonly installed in drop tile ceilings in all manner of facilities using various systems. A common configuration of a ceiling mounted electronic component system 100 (
Techniques described herein relate to integrating an electronic component, such as a wireless network access point, into a ceiling tile system in such a way as to maintain the aesthetic integrity of the ceiling while providing a suitable structural system to secure the equipment into the ceiling. Furthermore, the described techniques reduce time and effort required in other electronic component mounting systems. The techniques are not limited to access point solutions but may also be used with different types of equipment, such as antennas, cameras, speakers, and the like. The techniques include one or more apparatuses for quickly and precisely cutting the mounting solution into a specified tile.
A particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only certain exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to limit its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
In the embodiment depicted in
The can 206 is a cylinder shape, although other shapes may be used for a can in different embodiments. The housing 208 connects to a first end 212 of the can 206. A cutting edge 214 of the can 206 is located on a second end 216 of the can 206 disposed opposite of the first end 212 of the can 206. The cutting edge 214 is serrated so that the cutting edge can be used to form a can-shaped hole in the ceiling tile 204. The serrated cutting edge 214 may be integrated with the can 206 or it may be a separate component disposed on the second end 216 of the can 206. The cutting edge 214 isn't required to be serrated. In at least one embodiment, the cutting edge 214 may be fitted with one or more razor or knife edges to perform the same function attributed herein to the serrated cutting edge 214.
In the first stage of use depicted in
The electronic component mount 302 includes a housing 310 located at one end and a cutting edge 312 located at an opposite end. Although the cutting edge 312 is shown integrated with the electronic component mount 302 in the present example, it is noted that the cutting edge 312 may be on a separate unit that is releasably connectable to the electronic component mount 302 so as to be in the same position shown herein. Further, although the housing 308 is shown attached to the electronic component mount 302 in this example, it is noted that the housing 308 may be separable from the electronic component mount 302 and the process depicted herein may be completed using only the electronic component mount 302 without the housing 308 installed.
The component mount 302 is inserted into the opening 308 so that the cutting edge 312 engages the ceiling tile 304 as shown.
While the invention is described with respect to certain embodiments and/or generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and application to any application, such as a Wi-Fi network deployment, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize other applications in which the presently described techniques may be used. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. An electronic component mounting apparatus, comprising:
- a can configured to receive and secure an electronic component, the can comprising a first end and a second end;
- a housing releasably connectable to the first end of the can and configured to cover the first end of the can and communicate with a ceiling tile; and
- a cutting edge disposed on the second end of the can, the cutting edge being configured to cut through a ceiling tile to form an opening in the ceiling tile that approximates a shape of the can.
2. The electronic component mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is integrated into the second end of the can.
3. The electronic component mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is releasably connectable to the second end of the can.
4. The electronic component mounting apparatus as recited in claim 3, further comprising a securing mechanism to hold the cutting edge in a fixed position relative to the can.
5. The electronic component mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is sufficiently capable to cut through an acoustic tile.
6. The electronic component mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a securing mechanism to secure the electronic component mounting apparatus to the ceiling tile.
7. A method for installing an electronic component mounting apparatus, comprising forming a hole in a ceiling tile with a cutting edge integrated with an electronic component mount.
8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:
- inserting an electronic component mount thorough the hole in the ceiling tile so that a housing of the electronic component is substantially flush with a side of the ceiling tile; and
- securing the electronic component mount to the ceiling tile.
9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising securing a protective cover over the cutting edge of the electric component mount.
10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein forming the hole further comprises:
- aligning a template with the ceiling tile such that the template indicates where to form the hole in the ceiling tile; and
- cutting the hole in the ceiling tile in a location indicated by the template.
11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein:
- the template further comprises a backer plate configured to approximate the size of the ceiling tile; and
- the method further comprises securing the electronic component to the ceiling tile and the backer plate.
12. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising installing an electronic component into the electronic component mount.
13. A method for installing an electronic component in a ceiling, comprising:
- using a template to mark a location to install a component mount in the ceiling;
- cutting a hole in the ceiling at the marked location using a cutting edge that is integrated with a first end of the component mount;
- inserting the component mount through the hole in the ceiling so that the first end of the component extends about the ceiling; and
- securing the component mount to the ceiling.
14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising attaching a housing to a second end of the component mount, the second end of the component mount being oppositely disposed from the first end of the component mount.
15. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising removing the cutting edge from the component mount.
16. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising retracting the cutting edge from the first end of the component mount.
17. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:
- the ceiling further comprises a ceiling tile that makes up a portion of a ceiling; and
- the method further comprises fixing the template to the ceiling tile such that when the ceiling tile is installed, the template is disposed above the ceiling tile.
18. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the template further comprises a backing plate that provides significant support to the component mount.
19. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising mounting an electronic component inside the component mount.
20. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising securing a protective cover over the cutting edge of the component mount.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 8, 2021
Publication Date: Jul 15, 2021
Inventor: William C. ANDERSON, III (Dallas, TX)
Application Number: 17/144,935