Abstract: An electrically conductive element, including an insulator and a first conductor, is provided, which can be affixed to a second conductor consisting of conductive structural element, wherein the insulator is positioned between the first and second conductors to electrically isolate them. A power supply may be connected between the first and second conductors to provide power thereto, and an electrical device may be connected across the first and second conductors.

Abstract: A clip for attaching the end of a grid tee to a wall angle. The clip, in various forms, is arranged to frictionally lock between the hem of the horizontal leg of the wall angle and the vertical leg. The clip, typically, has a pair of opposed open hems forming channels in which the flange of the tee end is received to join the tee to the clip. The clip can be elongated horizontally to accommodate movement of the grid during seismic activity. The clip can be used to trim the edges of a ceiling island and can be made to accommodate angular intersections of the grid with a wall or island edge.

Abstract: A bracket for use in acoustically isolating a ceiling support grid from a frame member includes a planar body having a grid receiving formation and at least one mounting aperture, and a resilient grommet secured relative to each aperture for acoustically isolating a fastener passing through the aperture into the frame member.

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: An electrified grid for a suspended ceiling comprising first and second grid sections lying in a common ceiling plane, each grid section having metal main tees and metal cross tees intersecting with the main tees, the first and second sections being adjacent one another and having respective main tees in parallel alignment and with a fixed spacing not substantially greater than the length of the cross tees, the grid sections being electrically insulated from one another whereby at least said main tees of fixed spacing can be held at opposite voltage polarities and an electrical or electrical device carried on or above the ceiling can be powered by electrical connection of separate ones of its leads to the metal tees of a respective one of said first and second grid sections.

Abstract: A ceiling tile product and method in which a slurry formed mat primarily comprising mineral wool and binder is provided with a binder enhancement zone at its face. The binder enhancement zone can reduce the total required latex content, reduce the amount of finish or paint needed to achieve a commercially acceptable color and improve noise reduction.

Abstract: A compression post assembly for a soffit, canopy or like structure utilizing a suspended grid of inverted tees to support the soffit surface forming panels comprising a main strut and a saddle coupling, the main strut having a hollow cross-section along substantially its full length between its upper and lower ends, the saddle coupling being adapted to connect the lower end of the strut to a grid tee by receiving separate self-tapping screws, one in each of the main strut and grid tee, the saddle coupling having a pair of spaced depending legs, the legs being spread apart by a distance sufficient to straddle the bulb of a conventional grid tee and having a length sufficient to engage the upper surfaces of the lower flange of the grid tee and thereby stabilize the grid tee against pivotal motion about a horizontal axis.

Abstract: A rectangular ceiling tile proportioned for use in a standard rectangular ceiling grid module formed by grid tees, the tile having a pair of conductors arranged to feed low voltage electrical power from the grid elements to an electric or electronic device carried on the tile, the conductors each extending to an edge or edges of the tile and adapted to make physical contact with a conductor carried on a grid element when supported on such grid element.

Abstract: An elongated grid tee for supplying low voltage power on a suspended ceiling comprising at least two electrically conductive paths electrically insulated from each other, extending lengthwise of the tee, and accessible for receiving or supplying electrical power at numerous locations along the length of the tee.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling grid tee of conventional cross-sectional shape having a plurality of generally planar parallel and orthogonal surfaces and at least two electrically isolated conductor strips attached to the planar areas of the tee surfaces extending along substantially the full length of the tee, a connector for supplying low voltage electrical power to or from the conductors, the connector having a configuration complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the grid tee and including at least two electrical contacts for energizing each of said conductor strips when said connector is positioned on said grid tee.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling elongate grid tee having a lower flange, a vertical web, and an upper hollow reinforcing bulb, at least some of the flange, web and bulb elements, having relatively flat exposed or accessible surfaces, and a plurality of pairs of conductors attached to said flat surfaces and extending along substantially the full length of the tee whereby grid tee is capable of carrying at least two fully independent DC circuits.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling system comprising grid runners and downwardly accessible generally planar tiles mounted on the grid runners, peripheral tile edges having portions extending horizontally underneath an adjacent grid runner, opposed tile edges having a downwardly facing support surface, said opposed edges having a generally vertical abutment surface above its support surface and resting on an adjacent horizontal flange portion of a grid runner, the runners having locating surfaces of limited height above said flange portions and engageable with the abutment surfaces, the runners and tiles being arranged to permit one of the opposed tile edges to be lifted so that its abutment surface can be raised and thereafter be shifted towards the runner adjacent the lifted edge a distance sufficient to allow the opposite edge to drop below the flange portion of its associated runner.

Abstract: A main tee with separate clips affixed on its ends for splicing the tee with identical tees in end-to-end butt joints. The tee and clip form a pocket for receiving the projecting end of an opposing clip with a uniform low insertion force. The clip is self-aligning with the pocket and when interconnected the clips precisely align the coupled tees both vertically and horizontally. The clips, formed of relatively strong material, have mutually engageable locking surfaces that ensure a strong joint.

Abstract: A ceiling tile of gypsum and cellulose fibers formed into a board by initially mixing the fibers and gypsum in a water-based slurry that is felted and thereafter pressed and dried with a desired board thickness, the dried board being processed to form a plurality of holes in a face thereof through at least the majority of the thickness of the board, the collective volume of the holes being sufficient to reduce the weight of the board by at least 10% and increase the NRC exhibited by the board over that which would otherwise be found in a board of the same composition without such holes.

Abstract: A non-planar suspended panel system comprising a metal grid formed of curved main runners and straight cross runners extending between the main runners, a plurality of panels supported on the grid, the panels each having flat major faces with quadrilateral profiles, the edges of a panel being aligned with a pair of main runners and a pair of cross runners, each panel having flanges at its edges extending between its flat face and the runners in a manner that disposes the plane of its flat face generally parallel to chordal lines in the planes of the main runners between the intersections of the associated cross runners and main runners, whereby the panel system extends over a three dimensional surface and the surface is formed of a multitude of facets each formed by one of said panels.

Abstract: A clip for attaching the end of a grid tee to a wall angle. The clip, in various forms, is arranged to frictionally lock between the hem of the horizontal leg of the wall angle and the vertical leg. The clip, typically, has a pair of opposed open hems forming channels in which the flange of the tee end is received to join the tee to the clip. The clip can be elongated horizontally to accommodate movement of the grid during seismic activity. The clip can be used to trim the edges of a ceiling island and can be made to accommodate angular intersections of the grid with a wall or island edge.

Abstract: A wide wall angle useful in locations of seismic activity to support ceiling tile and grid tees of a suspended ceiling comprising an assembly of an elongated base angle and an elongated extension strip, the base angle having generally perpendicular legs integral with one another and intersecting at a longitudinally extending corner, one leg being adapted to be fixed against a wall with the corner down, and the other adapted to project horizontally from the wall, the extension strip having a face with greater than the width of the horizontal leg, the extension strip having a multiple layer construction, two layers of the extension strip being held together in close parallel relation by an intermediate web integral with the layers, at least portions of the two layers being arranged to frictionally engage at least a part of the horizontal leg of the base angle spaced from the corner such that the strip can be assembled on and frictionally retained on the horizontal leg of the base angle, the horizontal leg of th

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.