Patents by Inventor Alan C. Wendt
Alan C. Wendt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 8484923Abstract: A suspended ceiling comprising a grid formed of intersecting grid runners and snap-up panels supported on the grid runners, the grid runners dividing a ceiling area into standard modules, the pans being formed of sheet material and each having its sides sized to cover the module size while leaving a space at visible faces thereof between adjacent panels when in an installed position on the grid, at least one adjacent pair of panels being displaceable from their installed positions, the gap between a pair of displaceable panels being closed by a removable runner or the displaceable panels so that when the displaceable panels are displaced from their installed position and any removable runner is removed, an access opening of twice the standard module is made available for accessing the area above the ceiling while adjacent panels at longitudinal ends of the gap between the displaceable panels can remain in respective installed positions.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2010Date of Patent: July 16, 2013Assignee: USG Interiors, LLCInventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 8316600Abstract: A wall molding for a suspended ceiling comprising a roll-formed sheet metal body having a generally upright component to be fixed to a wall and a projecting component extending generally transversely to the upright component and adapted to underlie and support the edges of ceiling tiles and ends of grid runners, the projecting component in a free state extending across a plane defined by the upright component to a line adapted to abut the wall when the upright component is drawn towards the wall.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2010Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: USG Interiors, LLCInventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Publication number: 20120137614Abstract: A wall molding for a suspended ceiling comprising a roll-formed sheet metal body having a generally upright component to be fixed to a wall and a projecting component extending generally transversely to the upright component and adapted to underlie and support the edges of ceiling tiles and ends of grid runners, the projecting component in a free state extending across a plane defined by the upright component to a line adapted to abut the wall when the upright component is drawn towards the wall.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2010Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Publication number: 20120137615Abstract: A suspended ceiling comprising a grid formed of intersecting grid runners and snap-up panels supported on the grid runners, the grid runners dividing a ceiling area into standard modules, the pans being formed of sheet material and each having its sides sized to cover the module size while leaving a space at visible faces thereof between adjacent panels when in an installed position on the grid, at least one adjacent pair of panels being displaceable from their installed positions, the gap between a pair of displaceable panels being closed by a removable runner or the displaceable panels so that when the displaceable panels are displaced from their installed position and any removable runner is removed, an access opening of twice the standard module is made available for accessing the area above the ceiling while adjacent panels at longitudinal ends of the gap between the displaceable panels can remain in respective installed positions.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2010Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7930864Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2009Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7908813Abstract: A ceiling panel is provided for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling, wherein the grid includes a plurality of spaced grid runners. The ceiling panel comprises a tile base with perimeter segments and perimeter profiles along at least a portion of at least two of the perimeter segments. Each profile is supportable by the grid runners during suspension. A facing material is secured across the perimeter segments, and extends beyond the perimeter profiles in order to at least partially conceal two of the grid runners when the tile is suspended from the two grid runners and viewed from below.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2010Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Peder J. Gulbrandsen, Alan C. Wendt
-
Publication number: 20100269444Abstract: A ceiling panel is provided for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling, wherein the grid includes a plurality of spaced grid runners. The ceiling panel comprises a tile base with perimeter segments and perimeter profiles along at least a portion of at least two of the perimeter segments. Each profile is supportable by the grid runners during suspension. A facing material is secured across the perimeter segments, and extends beyond the perimeter profiles in order to at least partially conceal two of the grid runners when the tile is suspended from the two grid runners and viewed from below.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2010Publication date: October 28, 2010Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventors: Peder J. Gulbrandsen, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7788875Abstract: An edge trim system for suspended island ceilings in which a one-piece clip couples standard grid tees to standard wall molding. The clip is arranged to snap onto the grid tees where the ceiling boundary is along a line of the grid and to be screw fastened onto a tee where the ceiling boundary is other than along the grid. The clip is arranged to snap into and retain the molding in place without fasteners.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2005Date of Patent: September 7, 2010Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Publication number: 20100199594Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2009Publication date: August 12, 2010Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7765762Abstract: A ceiling panel is provided for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling, wherein the grid includes a plurality of spaced grid runners. The ceiling panel comprises a tile base with perimeter segments and perimeter profiles along at least a portion of at least two of the perimeter segments. Each profile is supportable by the grid runners during suspension. A facing material is secured across the perimeter segments, and extends beyond the perimeter profiles in order to at least partially conceal two of the grid runners when the tile is suspended from the two grid runners and viewed from below.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2008Date of Patent: August 3, 2010Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Peder J. Gulbrandsen, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7712274Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2006Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Alan C. Wendt, Gerald L. Koski
-
Patent number: 7658046Abstract: The present invention relates to a ceiling panel for suspended ceiling systems that is designed to create a moiré effect when viewed from below. The moiré ceiling panels are designed to fit into a standard suspended ceiling grid and include a semi-transparent upper layer, a semi-transparent lower layer, and a light diffusing layer. The lower layer includes a surface with a plurality of light passable apertures or surface areas to allow light from above the suspended ceiling to pass through. The upper layer also includes a surface with a plurality of light passable apertures or surface areas and is connected to the lower layer to form the moiré panel. The light diffusing layer is connected to the upper panel and is design to intensify the moiré pattern while simultaneously concealing the area above the panel.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2001Date of Patent: February 9, 2010Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Diane Irene Lynch, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7578106Abstract: A seismic wall molding for suspended ceiling systems that, although sufficiently wide across its horizontal ceiling supporting leg, is visually unobtrusive by virtue of a stepped, shadow style configuration. The stepped horizontal leg configuration allows the wall molding to resist buckling or bending deformation in the horizontal leg when a vertical leg of the molding is tightly secured against a non-flat wall surface. Factory ends on the wall molding are at parallel 45 degree planes to facilitate making inside and outside corners at the job site. A factory supplied template simplifies corner construction. A splice piece fits tightly on the upper sides of the horizontal legs at a straight-line joint between abutting lengths of the wall molding to maintain these elements in alignment.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2004Date of Patent: August 25, 2009Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Garry W. Burns, Alan C. Wendt, Martin E. Likozar
-
Publication number: 20090173030Abstract: A ceiling panel is provided for use in a grid-type suspended ceiling, wherein the grid includes a plurality of spaced grid runners. The ceiling panel comprises a tile base with perimeter segments and perimeter profiles along at least a portion of at least two of the perimeter segments. Each profile is supportable by the grid runners during suspension. A facing material is secured across the perimeter segments, and extends beyond the perimeter profiles in order to at least partially conceal two of the grid runners when the tile is suspended from the two grid runners and viewed from below.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2008Publication date: July 9, 2009Applicant: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Peder J. Gulbrandsen, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 7478506Abstract: An adaptor clip, for converting a standard tee grid ceiling to a snap-up panel system, comprising an injection-molded plastic body that includes gripping elements for engaging the tops of the flanges of the tee grid and support elements for mating with the upstanding peripheral flanges of the snap-up panels. The clip is arranged to be quickly and easily installed without tools by simply positioning it against the lower faces of intersecting tee grid members so that its center underlies the center of the intersection and rotating it about a vertical axis.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2005Date of Patent: January 20, 2009Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Alan C. Wendt, Martin E. Likozar, James J. Lehane
-
Publication number: 20080155927Abstract: A suspended ceiling system comprising grid runners and downwardly accessible generally planar tiles mounted on the grid runners, the tiles being rectangular in plan view with four peripheral edges, the peripheral edges each having portions that extend horizontally underneath an adjacent grid runner, each edge of an oppositely disposed pair of said edges having a downwardly facing support surface disposed between a plane of a lower visible face of the tile and a plane of an upper back face of the tile, the grid runners each being symmetrical about a vertical mid-plane and having horizontal flange portions extending in opposite directions away from said mid-plane, each of said oppositely disposed edges of said tiles having a generally vertical abutment surface above its support surface, the support surface resting on the adjacent horizontal flange portion, the runners having locating surfaces of limited height above said flange portions and engageable with the abutment surfaces, the runners and tiles being arraType: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2006Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventors: Alan C. Wendt, Gerald L. Koski
-
Publication number: 20080155934Abstract: A grid runner for a suspended ceiling having a lower flange extending generally horizontally, a web extending upwardly from the flange, and walls forming a hollow reinforcing bulb at the upper end of the web, the web lying generally in an imaginary vertical plane, a portion of the walls forming the bulb being disposed on and laterally spaced from the imaginary vertical plane, a wall area of the bulb on an upper side of the bulb bridging the space between the bulb walls on opposite sides of the imaginary plane, the bulb having lower wall portions forming its base and configured such that the bulb will readily collapse at the base when a lateral shear force is applied to the bulb walls by a hand-operated snips whereby the force to manually field cut the tee is reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2006Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: USG INTERIORS, INC.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 6834467Abstract: A free form ceiling panel for suspended ceiling systems that creates the appearance of moguls. The free form ceiling panels fit into a suspended ceiling grid. The free form ceiling is a grid system made up of curving tee members and preformed curved panels. The grid members curve in predefined radii into which formed panels are placed. The frame is formed from individual curved grid members that meet at their respective ends to form intersections. The grid members are rigid preformed members that are curved so that when interconnected a curve is formed.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2002Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Peder Gulbrandsen, James J. Lehane, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: 6807785Abstract: The present invention relates to a ceiling panel for suspended ceiling systems that is designed to create a moiré effect when viewed from below. The moiré ceiling panels are designed to fit into a standard suspended ceiling grid and include a semi-transparent upper layer, a semi-transparent lower layer, and a light diffusing layer. The lower layer includes a surface with a plurality of openings to allow light from above the suspended ceiling to pass through. The upper layer also includes a surface with a plurality of openings and is connected to the lower layer to form the moiré panel. The light diffusing layer is connected to the upper panel and is design to intensify the moiré pattern while simultaneously concealing the area above the panel.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2001Date of Patent: October 26, 2004Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventors: Diane Irene Lynch, Alan C. Wendt
-
Patent number: D612224Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2009Date of Patent: March 23, 2010Assignee: USG Interiors, Inc.Inventor: Alan C. Wendt