SUSPENDED CEILING SYSTEM

Abstract

A mounting bracket is provided for attaching a suspended ceiling molding having a longitudinal slot to a main ceiling structure as part of a suspended coffered ceiling. The mounting bracket has an intermediate portion from which opposite wing portions project. Back sides of the wing and intermediate portions form together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure. Each wing portion has one or more holes for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure. A front side of the intermediary portion protrudes relative to front sides of the wing portions. A clipping arrangement project from the front side of the intermediary portion and is clippingly engageable with the slot of the ceiling molding so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to suspended ceilings and more particularly to mounting brackets for attaching suspended ceiling moldings to a main ceiling structure, a ceiling system with the brackets and moldings for suspending ceiling panels, and a method thereof.

BACKGROUND

Modern ceilings often use moldings, which provide more ceiling design and style options. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,359,802 (Burnett et al.), an otherwise ordinary ceiling may become more attractive with the addition of moldings supported by bracket assemblies made of multiple elements.

There are various models of suspended ceilings. One commonly known model consists of a grid of metal channels in the shape of an upside-down “T”, suspended on wires from an overhead structure to form cells filled with ceiling tiles or panels which simply drop into the grid. Lately, suspended ceilings with moldings have emerged to take the appearance of suspended coffered ceilings. Published US patent application No. 2012/055109 (Labonté et al.) provides an example of a suspended ceiling with custom moldings supported by bracket assemblies made of multiple elements.

There is an ongoing demand for installation of suspended ceilings in various environments as part of repair and refurbishment works. Such environments vary considerably, from simple structural beams to ceilings finished with uneven stucco. There is a need for a low cost, easy to install suspended ceiling system utilizing moldings yet taking little vertical space and adaptable to different types of ceiling surfaces or structures.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting bracket for attaching a suspended ceiling molding to a main ceiling structure, the ceiling molding having a longitudinal slot, the mounting bracket comprising:

• • an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and
  • a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of the ceiling molding so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ceiling system for suspending ceiling panels from a main ceiling structure, the ceiling system comprising:

• • a set of suspended ceiling moldings each having longitudinal opposite side flange portions for receiving and supporting sides of the ceiling panels, and an upper longitudinal slot; and
  • mounting brackets for attaching the ceiling moldings to the main ceiling structure, each mounting bracket having:
  • an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and
  • a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of one of the ceiling moldings so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for suspending ceiling panels from a main ceiling structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• • providing a set of ceiling moldings each having longitudinal opposite side flange portions for receiving and supporting sides of the ceiling panels, and an upper longitudinal slot;
  • providing mounting brackets for attaching the ceiling moldings to the main ceiling structure, each mounting bracket having:
    • an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and
    • a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of one of the ceiling moldings so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot;
  • providing an additional set of suspended ceiling moldings each having opposite end flange portions shaped to be received and supported on the flange portions of the suspended ceiling moldings having the longitudinal slots;
  • fastening the mounting brackets directly to the main ceiling structure with fasteners inserted in the holes of the mounting brackets, the mounting brackets being oriented and spaced from one another so that the clipping arrangements form attachment lines for the ceiling moldings with the slots;
  • clipping the ceiling moldings with the slots to the mounting brackets;
  • suspending the ceiling moldings with the end flange portions between the ceiling moldings with the slots to form a grid-like pattern of cells; and
  • suspending the ceiling panels in the cells between the ceiling moldings with the slots and the ceiling moldings with the end flange portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of preferred embodiments will be given herein below with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the ceiling system according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below of a mounting bracket with a molding clipped thereto according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above of a mounting bracket with a molding clipped thereto according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a mounting bracket according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a mounting bracket according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a mounting bracket according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a molding according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective partial view of a clipping arrangement in a slot of a ceiling molding according to the invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective partially exploded view from above of a suspended ceiling system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment of the ceiling system 2 according to the invention. A mounting bracket 4 is provided for attaching a suspended ceiling molding 6 to a main ceiling structure 8 that may be made of beams or be an already existing ceiling structure for example made of gypsum boards, stucco or concrete.

Referring to FIG. 8, the ceiling molding 6 has an upper longitudinal slot 10, preferably a T-slot having an undercut 36 below an upper plane 38 of the ceiling molding 6 and defining opposite inner shoulder surfaces 32.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mounting bracket 4 has an intermediate portion 12 and opposite wing portions 14 projecting from the intermediate portion 12. The wing portions 14 and the intermediate portion 12 have opposite back and front sides 16, 18, 20, 22. The back sides 16, 20 of the wing and intermediate portions 14, 12 form together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1). The surface formed by the back sides 16, 20 of the wing and intermediate portions 14, 12, which may be referred to as an underside of the mounting bracket 4, is preferably generally planar so as to be fully or mostly in contact with the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1) when the mounting bracket 4 is fastened to it. Each wing portion 14 has one or more holes 24 extending between the front and back sides 18, 16 for passage of a fastener 26 (as shown in FIG. 1) for fastening the mounting bracket 4 to the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1). The front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12 protrudes relative to the front sides 18 of the wing portions 14 to provide space for installation of ceiling panels (or tiles) 28 (as shown in FIG. 1). The front side 22 also plays the role of interface between the ceiling molding 6 and the mounting bracket 4 and may contribute to isostatism of the parts. It may also compensate for variations in the ceiling.

The mounting bracket 4 has a clipping arrangement 30 projecting from the front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12 and clippingly engageable with the slot 10 of the ceiling molding 6 so that the ceiling molding 6 interlocks with the mounting bracket 4 when the clipping arrangement 30 reaches a clipping position inside the slot 10, as is the case in FIG. 2. The clipping may be such as to still allow sliding of the mounting bracket 4 relative to the ceiling molding 6 along the slot 10.

Referring to FIG. 3, the opposite inner shoulder surfaces 32 of the slot 10 are spaced apart from each other so that the clipping arrangement 30 is insertable between them. The clipping arrangement 30 preferably has opposite clip portions 34 extending at a distance from the front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12 and projecting away from each other so that the clip portions 34 snappingly engage against respective ones of the shoulder surfaces 32 when the clipping arrangement 30 reaches the clipping position inside the slot 10, thereby interlocking the ceiling molding 6 with the mounting bracket 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the clipping arrangement 30 preferably has two spaced apart generally parallel resiliently depressable tab portions 40 extending outwardly from the front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12. The clip portions 34 respectively project from opposite outer surfaces of the resilient tab portions 40 and have respective flange surfaces 42 extending beyond respective facing edges of the shoulder surfaces 32 (as shown in FIG. 3) when the clipping arrangement 30 is in the clipping position inside the slot 10 (as shown in FIG. 3). Each clip portion 34 preferably has a wedge shape forwardly tapering in a direction away from the front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12 so that the clip portion 34 and the tab portion 40 exhibit a harpoon-like profile facilitating insertion of the clipping arrangement 30 in the slot 10 (as shown in FIG. 3). The wedge shape has a back surface forming the flange surface 42 of the corresponding clip portion 34.

Referring to FIG. 9, the tab portions 40 may have outer tab surfaces 44 facing away from each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance corresponding, with some play or not, to a width of a gap of the slot 10 so that the outer tab surfaces 44 mainly extend against facing surfaces 46 defining the gap of the slot 10 when the clipping arrangement 30 is in the clipping position inside the slot 10. Also, the front side 22 of the intermediary portion 12 may have a generally flat surface, and the distance of the clip portions 34 with respect to the flat surface may correspond to a distance between the inner shoulder surfaces 32 and the upper plane 38 (as shown in FIG. 8) of the ceiling molding 6 so that the ceiling molding 6 abuts against the flat surface when the clipping arrangement 30 is in the clipping position. This configuration of the clipping arrangement 30 with the slot 10 ensures that the ceiling molding 6 is very stable when clipped to the mounting bracket 4 (as shown e.g. in FIG. 2).

Referring back to FIG. 4, the wing portions 14 may have elongated shapes so that multiple holes 24 may be distributed along the wing portions 14. This allows using multiple fasteners 26 to secure the wing portions 14 to the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1) and provides more possible fastening positions. The holes 24 may be positioned so that they match fastening positions depending on a width of the ceiling molding 6 (as shown in FIG. 1) to be used. For example, the holes 24 may be arranged so that the first two holes 24 of each wing portion 14 from the intermediary portion 12 can be used for a 2½ inch wide ceiling molding 6, the second and third holes 24 for a 3½ wide ceiling molding 6, and the third and forth holes 24 for a 4½ inch wide ceiling molding 6.

The wing portions 14 may have transverse break-away grooves 48 spaced longitudinally of the wing portions 14. The grooves 48 may form marks showing where the wing portions 14 may be cut with a saw or another appropriate tool depending on a width of the ceiling molding 6 (as shown e.g. in FIG. 1) to be used, and a position of the mounting bracket 4 on the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1). Typically, one wing portion 14 will be cut when positioning the mounting bracket 4 close to a corner of the main ceiling structure 8 with a vertical wall (not shown in the Figures).

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the holes 24 are preferably through holes extending between the front and back sides 18, 16 of the wing portions 14 as better shown in FIG. 6. The holes 24 preferably have a funnel-like shape extending from the front side 18 to the rear side 16 of the wing portions 14, so that fasteners 26 (as shown in FIG. 1) such as countersunk head screws may be fully embed in the wing portions 14, thereby leaving more space for installation of the ceiling panels 28 (as shown e.g. in FIG. 1) and reducing the risk of scratching or damaging their edges. The funnel-like shape may be defined by a front conical surface 50 as better shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, followed by an oblong rear surface 52 in the wing portion 14. The front conical surface 50 may have opposite sides respectively closer to and farther from the intermediary portion 12, the side farther from the intermediary portion 12 having a slant angle greater than a slant angle of the side closer to the intermediary portion 12 for slanted or straight insertion of a fastener 26 so that the mounting bracket 4 may be installed as function of various angles without additional structures. The holes 24 may have other shapes and even not extend completely through the wing portions 16 so as to be partial from the front sides 18 of the wing portions 16 if desired.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the front sides 18, 22 of the wing and intermediary portions 14, 12 may have bevelled edges 54, for example to remove sharp edges or lighten the mounting bracket 4 and reducing the amount of material to make it while allowing reducing strains and improving its lifetime. It may also facilitate the stripping of the mounting bracket 4 when manufactured by a molding process.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 7, the back sides 16, 20 of the wing and intermediary portions 14, 12 may have weight lightening recesses 56 separated by straightening ribs 58.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the wing and intermediary portions 14, 12 and the clipping arrangement 30 may advantageously be made of one single piece of plastic material. Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, slots 66 may extend in the intermediary portion 12 on outer sides of the clipping arrangement 30 for injection process purposes. The mounting bracket 4 may be made of other materials and with other manufacturing processes and the mounting bracket 4 may be made of multiple pieces assembled together if desired, although the single piece model is preferred as it may be cheaper to make and be more robust.

Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown an embodiment of a ceiling system for suspending ceiling panels 28 from a main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1) according to the invention, to form a suspended coffer ceiling. The ceiling system has a set of suspended ceiling moldings 6 each having longitudinal opposite side flange portions 60 as better shown in FIG. 8, for receiving and supporting sides of the ceiling panels 28. Mounting brackets 4 are provided for attaching the ceiling moldings 6 to the main ceiling structure 8 as described above. In FIG. 10, only two mounting brackets 4 are shown but it should be understood that many more are used in a suspended ceiling installation to provide appropriate support for the ceiling moldings 6, the ceiling panels 28 and an additional set of suspended ceiling moldings 62 intended to extend between successive ceiling panels 28 to produce the coffer shape. The suspended ceiling moldings 52 have opposite end flange portions 64 adapted to form overlap joints with the side flange portions 60 of the ceiling moldings 6. The ceiling moldings 6 and 62 may have an elongated shape and the ceiling molding 6 may exhibit a flat T-shaped profile (inverted when installed) as better shown in FIG. 8.

A method for suspending the ceiling panels 28 from the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1) may proceed as follows. Sets of ceiling moldings 6 and 62 and mounting brackets 4 are provided. The mounting brackets 4 are fastened directly to the main ceiling structure 8 with fasteners 26 (as shown in FIG. 1) inserted in the holes 24 (as shown e.g. in FIG. 1) of the mounting brackets 4. The mounting brackets 4 are oriented and spaced from one another so that their clipping arrangements 30 (as shown e.g. in FIG. 2) form attachment lines for the ceiling moldings 6. The ceiling moldings 6 are clipped to the mounting brackets 4. The ceiling moldings 62 are suspended between rows of the ceiling moldings 6 to form a grid-like pattern of coffers, while the ceiling panels 28 are suspended in the coffers between the ceiling moldings 6 and 62. The clipping may be performed before the fastening for some of the ceiling moldings 6 with the slots 10 and their respective mounting brackets 4, for example for the ceiling moldings 6 that are not close to a wall. The mounting brackets 4 may then be slid along the ceiling moldings 6 at the desired fastening position, and then fastened to the main ceiling structure 8 (as shown in FIG. 1). Typically but not restrictively, installation of the suspended ceiling according to the invention begins by fastening a series of mounting brackets 4 to the main ceiling structure 8 along a wall (not shown), generally one of the shortest walls of the room. The wing portions 14 of the mounting brackets 4 on the side of the wall are generally cut in that case. The ceiling moldings 6 are then clipped to the mounting brackets 4 to form a primary molding row. In the case of mounting brackets 4 made of a single piece of plastic and moldings 6 and ceiling panels 28 made of wood particles, six mounting brackets 4 may be enough for fixing a ceiling molding 6 of twelve feet. The number of mounting brackets 4 to be used may vary for example depending on the materials of the parts, and on whether lamps or other equipment is to be supported by the suspended ceiling system. For the other primary molding rows to be installed in parallel with the first one, the ceiling moldings 6 are normally first clipped to the mounting brackets 4 and the mounting brackets are fastened to the main ceiling structure 8 afterward using the reachable holes 24 of the mounting brackets 4. The ceiling is completed by laying the secondary (transverse) moldings 62 supported by the primary moldings 6, interspersed with ceiling panels 28.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the clipping arrangement 30 may extend in a lengthwise direction of the mounting bracket 4 or any other direction if desired instead of extending crosswise. Although the above described embodiment of the clipping arrangement 30 is preferred, other embodiments may be considered. For example, the clip portions 34 may project from opposite sides of a single tab member and be made of compressible material that expand back into initial state once the clipping position is reached. There could be only one clip portion 34 instead of two if the clipping arrangement 30 snugly fits in the slot 10 when in the clipping position so as to prevent tilting of the ceiling molding 6. The clipping arrangement 30 could be formed of a tab member provided with barbs or teeth (not shown) arranged to hook against the sides of the slot 10 which could also be provided with meshing barbs or teeth (not shown).

The ceiling moldings 6, 62 may be straight or curving if desired and the ceiling panels 28 may have shapes matching the shapes of the ceiling moldings 6, 62. The ceiling moldings 6, 62 may be made of wood, plastic, aluminum or other materials, preferably lightweight, and may be solid or hollowed out for example if produced by an extrusion process.

The fasteners 26 (as shown in FIG. 1) are preferably screws, but other types of fasteners such as nails or staples may be used if desired as long as they allow fixing the brackets 4 to the main ceiling structure 8 with enough retention strength to support the weight of the ceiling moldings 6, 62, panels 28 and other possible ceiling elements to be supported by the suspending ceiling.

The ceiling system according to the invention can be installed even when the flatness of the surface of the main ceiling structure 8 exceeds ⅛ inch and even when the surface is made of friable material while maintaining the physical integrity of the ceiling as it then becomes a supporting structure itself. Thus, it does not require tedious preparation operations of the main ceiling structure surface prior to its installation, for example when the surface is made of stucco. When the mounting bracket 4 is made of a single piece, the ceiling system remains adaptable to various surface types while the installing operations are simplified. Furthermore, the ceiling system according to the invention may have a drop down thickness of less than 1 inch (distance between the suspended ceiling and the main ceiling structure) so as to reduce wasted space. Preferably, the mounting bracket 4 is simple and homogenous and does not exhibit a sudden change in direction that could reduce a capacity to form it by injection without creating air bubbles. Homogeny in terms of chemical composition may be advantageous to limit presence of porosity and to increase load capacity. The mounting bracket 4 may have a length of 6½ inches and a width of 1¼ inch. The wing portions 14 may have a height or thickness of ¼ inch, the intermediary portion may have a height or thickness of ¼ inch, and the clipping arrangement 30 may have a height of ¼ inch, so that the mounting bracket 4 may have a height of ¼ inch from its underside to the tips of the clipping arrangement 30. The mounting bracket 4 may have other sizes if desired.

Claims

1. A mounting bracket for attaching a suspended ceiling molding to a main ceiling structure, the ceiling molding having a longitudinal slot, the mounting bracket comprising:

an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and

a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of the ceiling molding so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot.

2. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the slot has opposite inner shoulder surfaces between which the clipping arrangement is insertable, the clipping arrangement having opposite clip portions extending at a distance from the front side of the intermediary portion and projecting away from each other so that the clip portions snappingly engage against respective ones of the shoulder surfaces when the clipping arrangement reaches the clipping position inside the slot, thereby interlocking the ceiling molding with the mounting bracket.

3. The mounting bracket according to claim 2, wherein the slot is a T-slot having an undercut below a plane of the ceiling molding and defining the inner shoulder surfaces, and the clipping arrangement has two spaced apart generally parallel resiliently depressable tab portions extending outwardly from the front side of the intermediary portion, the clip portions respectively projecting from opposite outer surfaces of the resilient tab portions and having respective flange surfaces extending beyond respective facing edges of the shoulder surfaces when the clipping arrangement is in the clipping position inside the slot.

4. The mounting bracket according to claim 3, wherein each clip portion has a wedge shape forwardly tapering in a direction away from the front side of the intermediary portion, the wedge shape having a back surface forming the flange surface of the clip portion.

5. The mounting bracket according to claim 3, wherein the tab portions have outer tab surfaces facing away from each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance substantially corresponding to a width of a gap of the slot so that the outer tab surfaces extend substantially against facing surfaces defining the gap of the slot when the clipping arrangement is in the clipping position inside the slot.

6. The mounting bracket according to claim 2, wherein the front side of the intermediary portion has a generally flat surface, and the distance of the clip portions with respect to the flat surface substantially corresponds to a distance between the inner shoulder surfaces and a plane of the ceiling molding so that the ceiling molding abuts against the flat surface when the clipping arrangement is in the clipping position.

7. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the wing portions have elongated shapes, and said at least one hole comprising multiple holes distributed along the wing portions.

8. The mounting bracket according to claim 7, wherein the wing portions have transverse break-away grooves spaced longitudinally of the wing portions.

9. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein said at least one hole comprises a through hole extending between the front and back sides of a corresponding one of the wing portions.

10. The mounting bracket according to claim 9, wherein the through hole has a funnel-like shape extending from the front side to the rear side of a corresponding one of the wing portions.

11. The mounting bracket according to claim 10, wherein the funnel-like shape is defined by a front conical surface followed by an oblong rear surface in a corresponding one of the wing portion, the front conical surface having opposite sides respectively closer to and farther from the intermediary portion, the side farther from the intermediary portion having a slant angle greater than a slant angle of the side closer to the intermediary portion for slanted or straight insertion of a fastener.

12. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the surface formed by the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions is generally planar.

13. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the front sides of the wing and intermediary portions have bevelled edges.

14. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the back sides of the wing and intermediary portions have weight lightening recesses separated by straightening ribs.

15. The mounting bracket according to claim 1, wherein the wing and intermediary portions and the clipping arrangement are made of one single piece of plastic material.

16. A ceiling system for suspending ceiling panels from a main ceiling structure, the ceiling system comprising:

a set of suspended ceiling moldings each having longitudinal opposite side flange portions for receiving and supporting sides of the ceiling panels, and an upper longitudinal slot; and

mounting brackets for attaching the ceiling moldings to the main ceiling structure, each mounting bracket having: an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of one of the ceiling moldings so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot.

17. The ceiling system according to claim 16, wherein the slot of each ceiling molding is a T-slot having an undercut below a plane of the ceiling molding and defining inner shoulder surfaces between which the clipping arrangement of one of the mounting brackets is insertable, the clipping arrangement having opposite clip portions extending at a distance from the front side of the intermediary portion and projecting away from each other so that the clip portions snappingly engage against respective ones of the shoulder surfaces when the clipping arrangement reaches the clipping position inside the slot, thereby interlocking the ceiling molding with the mounting bracket.

18. The ceiling system according to claim 17, wherein the clipping arrangement of each mounting bracket has two spaced apart generally parallel resiliently depressable tab portions extending outwardly from the front surface of the intermediary portion, the clip portions respectively projecting from opposite outer surfaces of the resilient tab portions and having respective flange surfaces extending beyond respective facing edges of the shoulder surfaces when the clipping arrangement is in the clipping position inside the slot.

19. The ceiling system according to claim 16, wherein each ceiling molding has an elongated shape and has a substantially flat T-shaped profile.

20. The ceiling system according to claim 16, further comprising an additional set of suspended ceiling moldings each having opposite end flange portions shaped to be received and supported on the flange portions of the suspended ceiling moldings with the longitudinal slots.

21. A method for suspending ceiling panels from a main ceiling structure, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a set of ceiling moldings each having longitudinal opposite side flange portions for receiving and supporting sides of the ceiling panels, and an upper longitudinal slot;

providing mounting brackets for attaching the ceiling moldings to the main ceiling structure, each mounting bracket having: an intermediate portion and opposite wing portions projecting from the intermediate portion, the wing and intermediate portions having opposite back and front sides, the back sides of the wing and intermediate portions forming together a surface positionable directly against the main ceiling structure, each wing portion having at least one hole extending between the front and back sides for passage of a fastener for fastening the mounting bracket to the main ceiling structure, the front side of the intermediary portion protruding relative to the front sides of the wing portions; and a clipping arrangement projecting from the front side of the intermediary portion and clippingly engageable with the slot of one of the ceiling moldings so that the ceiling molding interlocks with the mounting bracket when the clipping arrangement reaches a clipping position inside the slot;

providing an additional set of suspended ceiling moldings each having opposite end flange portions shaped to be received and supported on the flange portions of the suspended ceiling moldings having the longitudinal slots;

fastening the mounting brackets directly to the main ceiling structure with fasteners inserted in the holes of the mounting brackets, the mounting brackets being oriented and spaced from one another so that the clipping arrangements form attachment lines for the ceiling moldings with the slots;

clipping the ceiling moldings with the slots to the mounting brackets;

suspending the ceiling moldings with the end flange portions between the ceiling moldings with the slots to form a grid-like pattern of coffers; and

suspending the ceiling panels in the coffers between the ceiling moldings with the slots and the ceiling moldings with the end flange portions.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of clipping is performed before the step of fastening for some of the ceiling moldings with the slots and their respective mounting brackets.