Abstract: A seismic bracket for supporting ends of suspended ceiling grid runners from a wall comprising a stamped sheet metal body, the body having a horizontally extending portion and a vertically extending portion, the vertically extending portion, in its installed position, rising above the top of a standard grid runner a distance at least 1½ times the height of such standard grid runner, the vertically extending portion having two sections generally coextensive in the vertical direction, a first section being integral with the horizontally extending portion and a second section arranged to be in a vertical plane that intersects a vertical plane occupied by the horizontally extending portion, the horizontally extending portion being arranged to support a grid runner to move longitudinally a limited distance, the second section of the vertically extending portion having an aperture for securing the bracket to the wall at a location substantially above the grid tee.

Abstract: A non-woven material, that can be formed into an acoustic ceiling tile, is provided. The material includes a substantially planar and self-supporting core of an inorganic base fiber and a synthetic thermal bonding fiber. The synthetic thermal bonding fiber preferably has an increased bonding surface area that improves adhesion and porosity to provide a base mat or core with a low density to provide sound absorption required by an acoustic ceiling tile.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling system comprising metal grid members and rectangular composite acoustical panels, the panels having edges at their peripheries, the grid members having a cross section generally like an inverted T such that they provide oppositely extending flanges adapted to support the panels at their edges, a resilient element at a juncture between a support on the grid member flanges and at least one edge of each panel, the resilient element being arranged to temporarily deflect to permit a panel to be raised from below the grid member into an installed position and to extend itself to hold such panel in position on the grid.

Abstract: A clip for suspending ceiling panels from a horizontal channel having a C-shape formed by a vertical web and integral opposed horizontal upper and lower flanges, the clip comprising a sheet metal body, the body including a vertical web extending between upper and lower portions, the upper portion being configured to overlie the horizontal upper flange of the channel when installed thereon, the lower portion being configured to lie below the horizontal lower flange of the channel, the lower portion including a generally upstanding hook section adapted to be received in a downwardly open channel on the ceiling panel beneath the C-shaped channel to enable the clip to support the panel by transferring the weight of the panel to the C-shaped channel, the hook section being fixed against horizontal movement relative to the body vertical web.

Abstract: A lightweight cast article that is made by the method of the present invention. A foamed acoustical product is prepared by blending a starch with cold water, then heating the starch/water blend to form a starch gel. Mineral wool is added to the starch gel to form a pulp and the pulp is wet-mixed until wool nodules are formed. The pulp is then combined with a surfactant and an amount of foam water. The foaming agent is selected from the group consisting of a linear sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, a cocamidopropyl betaine, a cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, their salts and mixtures thereof. Mixing of the foaming agent and pulp continues to form a foamed pulp. The foamed pulp is cast into a mold and allowing the foamed pulp to dry forming a foamed product. The foamed product is removed from the mold.

Abstract: A seismic clip for suspended ceiling grid tees that offers high strength, rigidity, versatility and ease of assembly while improving the ability of a clip to self-align with a grid tee. The clip includes a lanced tab that serves to establish and maintain alignment of the clip body and the tee to which it is assembled whereby a tendency of a clip to be tilted upwardly relative to the tee is eliminated or greatly reduced. The alignment tab serves to initially align the clip and tee either when it is assembled by snapping it over the tee or by sliding the tee endwise into the clip. The tab is configured so that it does not unduly add to the assembly force level when the clip is snapped over the tee or when the tee and clip are slipped endwise together.

Abstract: An acoustical building panel and method of manufacturing it are disclosed. Embodiments of the panel include a porous nonwoven scrim, a coating deposited on the scrim, a base mat, and an adhesive deposited on either the base mat or the scrim in a discrete form such as in droplets. Embodiments of the method of manufacture include steps of perforating the base mat, applying the adhesive to the base mat in the discrete form, laminating the scrim onto the base mat, and applying the coating to the scrim surface.

Abstract: Producing grid tees with a range of service duty, reflected in the use of various gauge sheet stock, that exhibit an effective uniform thickness at their cross tee slots by locally altering a grid tee in the area of its cross tee receiving slot or slots so that the grid tee has a uniform effective thickness at these area(s) that can be standardized across a manufacturer's range of tee load ratings. Preferably, a grid tee is permanently stamped with an indentation or dimple adjacent the cross tee slot and a cross tee connector has a lead edge area arranged to seat against the bottom of the indentation.

Abstract: An end clip for joining runners of suspended ceilings by coupling with an identical clip, the clip being stamped from sheet metal stock with lead and trailing ends, a lateral projection and a projection receiving area behind the lead end, the clip being arranged such that when an identical clip oriented in the opposite direction of the clip and caused to laterally overlap the clip the projection of the clip is locked in the receiving area of the identical clip and, vice versa, at least one of the projection and projection receiving area having a rearward facing sheared edge forming an acute angle with the clip plane resulting from being sheared with tooling having a clearance between tooling substantially greater than 10% of the thickness of the sheet from which the clip is stamped.

Abstract: Manufacture of roll formed one piece sheet metal grid tees that affords different load ratings with the same gauge and quality of sheet stock and the same overall cross-section dimensions by varying the width of the strip used to make the tees and disposing material added for increased load rating at the area of the hollow reinforcing bulb of the tees.

Abstract: An L-shaped clip for mounting a trim member along an exposed edge of a suspension ceiling includes a support leg to be longitudinally secured to a grid tee and a perpendicular face leg to be secured to the trim member. The support leg includes offset clip walls for engagement with offset tee walls and clip abutment surfaces for engagement with tee abutment surfaces. The offset walls and abutment surfaces cooperate to assist in the alignment and mounting of the clip to the grid tee at different relative heights. A single clip may be mounted to either a T-shaped grid tee or an open channel grid tee.

Abstract: The invention provides a bracket and method of its use for adapting standard wall angle trim for use in sloped ceiling construction. The disclosed bracket arrangement can be used for the top edge or bottom edge of a sloped ceiling and be adjusted to match the angle of any practical ceiling slope. In disclosed embodiments, the bracket has the form of a rectangular flat steel sheet. The sheet has a hinge or bend line running lengthwise in its mid-area. The bend line is made by cutting the sheet intermittently along its length and thereby dividing the sheet into two sections. The cuts may be made, for example, by punching elongated slots along the bend line in a blank being formed into the bracket. Also punched into the bracket blank are a plurality of holes distributed lengthwise on marginal areas of the two sections of the blank.