SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FASTENING CEILING TILES
According to the present invention, a rail assembly and method is provided that allows secure mounting of ceiling panels to the rails, while at the same time allows extraction of the ceiling panel from the room below without damaging the ceiling panels or the underlying frame.
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The present invention relates generally to fasteners for ceiling tiles and, more particularly, it relates to fasteners and their use in facilitating hanging framing for ceiling tiles and removably attaching the tiles themselves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDrop ceilings have been installed in commercial, residential and industrial settings. A common problem with drop ceilings are that when there is a need to remove a single panel, many other panels may need to be removed to allow removal of the panel of interest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA rail assembly is provided that can be used with ceiling panels to make drop ceilings that are easy to install and that allow ceiling panels to be securely mounted and removably mounted so that each panel may be removed without damaging the panel or the underlying rail assembly. The rails may be made in different sizes and shapes and different clips to accommodate the edge profiles, shapes and strengths of different ceiling panels.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a rail assembly includes at least one rail having an elongated body, a supporting edge protruding along the length of the body and a threaded cavity along the length opening adjacent to the supporting edge. The assembly further includes a clip having an outward spring bias and an adjacent pair of boundary faces. At least one ceiling panel may be received by the rail, where the ceiling panel has a ceiling side and outer edges. The panel securely fits between the supporting edge and one of the pair of boundary faces of the clip and the other boundary face impinges on an edge of the panel applying a spring loaded compressive force to the edge of the panel.
The rail assembly is designed to be installed into a ceiling or supporting structure to create an array of openings to receive ceiling tiles or panels, which terms are used interchangeably herein. According to one embodiment, at least four of the at least one rail is mounted on a ceiling forming a substantially enclosed shape with the supporting edges, wherein the supporting edge of each of the rails has a width. The outer edges of the ceiling panel overlap the enclosed shape by a length that is less than the width allowing the ceiling panel to be removed by compressing the clips in two dimensions.
The rail assembly may be used with square, non-square rectangular or other polygonal shaped panels that are substantially planar.
According to another embodiment, a method of using a rail assembly to hang a drop ceiling includes steps of installing, selecting, attaching and mounting. The installing is used to install at least one rail having an elongated body, a supporting edge protruding along the length of the body and a threaded cavity along the length opening adjacent to the supporting edge. The selecting is used to selecting at least one clip having an outward spring bias, the at least one clip including an adjacent pair of boundary faces. The attaching is used to attach the at least one clip to the rail and then a ceiling panel having a ceiling side and outer edges is mounted to the at least one rail. According to an embodiment of the method, the panel securely fits between the supporting edge and one of the pair of boundary faces of the clip and the other boundary face impinges on an edge of the panel applying a spring loaded compressive force to the edge of the panel.
The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated with reference to the appended figures in which:
According to the present invention, a rail assembly 10 is provided that can be used with ceiling panels to make drop ceilings that are easy to install and that allow ceiling panels to be securely mounted and removably mounted so that each panel may be removed without damaging the panel or the underlying rail assembly. The rails may be made in different sizes and shapes and different clips to accommodate the edge profiles, shapes and strengths of different ceiling panels.
Generally, drop ceilings are provided with an underlying frame which hangs from a ceiling or support structure and supports ceiling panels. The panels may have a regular shape and be installed on a pitch.
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During an installation, four rails as shown in
Clips are then selected for installation on the rails in step 410. Generally, at least one clip is used for each rail deployed. The clips may be placed anywhere along the rail at convenient locations. One choice is to select one clip per rail that is situated and installed along a rail at the center of each opening formed by adjacent rails that is to receive a ceiling panel.
In step 420, the clips are installed or mounted on the rails. This may be done with a screw, nut, bolt or other fastener or may be done using other techniques such as glue, welding or riveting or other similar techniques. In step 430, one or more panels are mounted on the supporting edges of the installed rail structure into each opening as described above. In this manner, a drop ceiling with multiple ceiling panels may be installed to create a ceiling with removable panels that are accessible from the room one at a time without breaking a panel or the panel support structure.
The rails, clips and panels may be made of plastic, metal, or any other desired material.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that changes may be made to those embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the ceiling panels may have any desired shape that is substantially planar. Similarly, the techniques for attaching the panels may be changed from those shown and the edge profiles, the shape of the body, cavities and threaded cavities may each be changed to any desired configuration that still allows support and extraction as described herein.
Claims
1. A rail assembly, comprising:
- at least one rail having an elongated body, a supporting edge protruding along the length of the body and a threaded cavity along the length opening adjacent to the supporting edge;
- a clip having an outward spring bias, the clip including an adjacent pair of boundary faces;
- at least one ceiling panel, the ceiling panel having a ceiling side and outer edges;
- wherein the panel securely fits between the supporting edge and one of the pair of boundary faces of the clip and the other boundary face impinges on an edge of the panel applying a spring loaded compressive force to the edge of the panel.
2. The rail assembly according to claim 1, comprising:
- at least four of the at least one rail mounted on a ceiling forming a substantially enclosed shape with the supporting edges, wherein the supporting edge of each of the rails has a width; and
- wherein the outer edges of the ceiling panel overlap the enclosed shape by a length that is less than the width allowing the ceiling panel to be removed by compressing the clips in two dimensions.
3. The rail assembly according to claim 2, wherein:
- the ceiling panel is a square.
4. The rail assembly according to claim 2, wherein:
- the ceiling panel is a non-square, rectangle that when aligned with the shape of the supporting edges presents the overlap length between its outer edges and the corresponding supporting edge.
5. The rail assembly according to claim 4, wherein the clip includes a hole for allowing a screw to hold the clip in place and screw into the threaded cavity.
6. The rail assembly according to claim 5, wherein the body of the rail further comprises a second cavity that facilitates hanging the rail.
7. The rail assembly according to claim 6, wherein the body of the rail further comprises a third cavity that facilitates attaching material to the rail.
8. The rail assembly according to claim 7, wherein the third cavity is threaded.
9. A method of using a rail assembly to hang a drop ceiling, comprising:
- installing at least one rail having an elongated body, a supporting edge protruding along the length of the body and a threaded cavity along the length opening adjacent to the supporting edge;
- selecting at least one clip having an outward spring bias, the at least one clip including an adjacent pair of boundary faces;
- attaching the at least one clip to the rail;
- mounting a ceiling panel having a ceiling side and outer edges to the at least one rail;
- wherein the panel securely fits between the supporting edge and one of the pair of boundary faces of the clip and the other boundary face impinges on an edge of the panel applying a spring loaded compressive force to the edge of the panel.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising
- installing at least four of the at least one rail mounted on a ceiling forming a substantially enclosed shape with the supporting edges, wherein the supporting edge of each of the rails has a width; and
- wherein the outer edges of the ceiling panel overlap the enclosed shape by a length that is less than the width allowing the ceiling panel to be removed by compressing the clips in two dimensions.
11. The method according to claim 10, further wherein:
- the ceiling panel is a non-square, rectangle that when aligned with the shape of the supporting edges presents the overlap length between its outer edges and the corresponding supporting edge.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the clip includes a hole for allowing a screw to hold the clip in place and screw into the threaded cavity.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the body of the rail further comprises a second cavity that facilitates hanging the rail.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the body of the rail further comprises a third cavity that facilitates attaching material to the rail.
15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the body of each rail further includes a pair of adjacent edges allowing panels to be mounted on either side of each rail.
16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the third cavity is threaded.
17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the cutout of the adapter is offset in relation to it body.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 12, 2017
Publication Date: Oct 12, 2017
Applicant: Bergvik North America, Inc. (Salisbury, MD)
Inventor: Erik TORNQVIST (Bergvik)
Application Number: 15/485,549