Demountable flush type acoustical ceilling construction

Dec. 13, 1960 j. a. mancini 2,963,751

DEMOUNTABLE FLUSH TYPE ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONSTRUCTION

Filed June 2, 1958

<img file="US2963751A_D0001.tif" />

<img file="US2963751A_D0002.tif" />

United States Patent Office

2,963,751

Patented Dec. 13, 1960

2,963,751

DEMOUNTABLE FLUSH TYPE ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONSTRUCTION

Joseph A. Mancini, 733 S. Fremont Ave., Alhambra, Calif.

Filed June 2, 1958, Ser. No. 739,288

Claims. (Cl. 20—4)

This invention is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 699,776, filed November 29, 1957, which is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 631,252, filed December 25, 1956, and relates generally to ceiling constructions and more particularly to an improved acoustical tile, suspended ceiling construction which is readily demountable for access to the area thereabove without damage to the tiles.

Suspended ceiling constructions are well known in the art as is the use of acoustical tile and a number of such constructions are of the demountable type. However, as a whole, these are characterized by a number of objectionable features among which are: a complexity of structure of the cooperating parts resulting in an excessive cost as to supply and as to installation by increasing the time required therefor; a poor design resulting in general instability and collapse of the ceiling upon movement thereof due to earthquake, etc.; and an inability to readily remove only one or more tiles rather than a whole row to obtain access to electrical conduits, etc. located above the ceiling.

A further difficulty in prior art structures arises where the main or tile-supporting runner channels are spaced four feet apart rather than two. While a definite economy as to the number of runner channels required is thus effected, the tiles lack the necessary rigidity for a four foot span and as a result, there is a tendency for the acoustical tiles to sag.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction which will obviate the above and other objectionable features characterizing known structures.

An important object of the prseent invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling of the “flush” surface type wherein the ceiling tiles receive their sole support from adjacent, abutting runner channels so constructed as to eliminate any danger of collapse of the ceiling upon movement thereof due to earthquake, etc.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction wherein each tile is kerfed on its four edges and supported and sealed against breathing solely by hook type support splines secured to the runner channels and entering opposed kerfs, breathing (or the passage of air) on the remaining two opposed edges being prevented between adjacent tiles by means of a pair of cooperating tile stiffener channels, one of which includes a flange overlying the abutting edges to act as a breather spline.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction wherein the breather-spline-receiving kerfs in one pair of opposite edges of a tile are cut therein at a higher point than the kerfs in the other two opposite sides so that the breather splines are positioned higher than the tile supporting hook splines the ends of which thus abut each other instead of being spaced by the breather splines as in the embodiments shown in my co-pending applications.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide an imrpoved suspended ceiling construction eliminating channel-supporting channels and employing vertically adjustable hanger clips to suspend the main tile-supporting runner channels, the clips also supporting 5 and connecting spacing bars for the channels so that a rigid but readily demountable ceiling construction is thereby attained.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an improved suspended ceiling construction 10 which is strong and rigid after installation which requires no bolts, screws or nails and which is readily and simply demountable due to the novel cooperation of the supporting and sealing members.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will 15 become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the demountable; 20 suspended ceiling construction comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view thereof to an enlarged scale taken on the line 2—2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a hook spline depending from a flange of a main runner channel and engaging one of the lower tile kerfs with a breather spline seated in the higher kerfs of two adjacent tiles;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hanger clip com30 prising a part of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view to an enlarged scale of a T-shaped breather spline in one of the higher kerfs.

In its broadest aspects, the present invention contem35 plates a rigid, more economical, demountably suspended ceiling construction whose lower visible surface is formed of parallel rows of runner channels between each of which is a row of tiles, supported solely by hook splines inserted in the lower tile kerfs and removably interlocked on the channels, the edges of the tiles closely abutting the sides of the channels and each other, and the bottoms of the tiles and channels forming a flush, attractive ceiling surface, the assembly being sealed against breathing by breather splines inserted in the upper tile kerfs formed in 45 the tile-abutting-tile edges.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that parallel rows of tile-supporting channels 10 are supported by means of hanger clips 12 from the ceiling of a room by means of spaced wire hangers 16 which include adjusting 50 turnbuckles 18.

The channels 10 are maintained in spaced, parallel relationships by means of a plurality of spaced, parallel Lshaped angle bars 19 arranged at right angles to the channels 10 and connected to and supported by the hanger 55 clips 12 as will be described.

The tile-supporting runner channels 10 (Figure 3) have flat lower faces 20, vertically extending side walls 22 terminating, by being doubled back on themselves, in upstanding flanges 24, inwardly directed horizontal flanges 60 26, and inner vertical flanges 28 spaced from each other by the width of the intermediate body portion of a hanger clip 12, and doubled back on themselves for strength as at 29.

The tiles are supported solely by the runner channels · 65 10 by means of support splines 30 which extend the length of a single tile and include a flat hook 32, a downward flange 34 which lies flat against the side wall 22 of a runner channel and a horizontal flange 36 which includes a longitudinally extending corrugation 38.

Each of the tiles T, which are preferably acoustical but may be of any desired type, includes a kerf 40 in each of a pair of opposed edges of greater depth than the

2,963,751 length of the support spline flanges 36 which they receive. The remaining two opposed edges are each provided with a kerf 41 which is cut at a higher plane (Figure 3) in each of the tiles T than the kerfs 40, the vertical spacing between the kerfs being exaggerated as shown.

The title edges are rabbeted as at 42 above the kerfs 40 and 41 to accommodate the support spline flange 34 so as to enable the lower edge of the tile to abut the side wall 22 of the channel 10, and to accommodate the tile stiffener and breather channels described below.

The parallel runner channels 10, as shown in Figure 1, are spaced at greater intervals than two feet such as four feet to support tiles T having 2' x 4' dimensions although 4' x 4' tiles could be used. To prevent any tendency of the tiles to sag between the runner channels, the righthand kerfed edges of the tiles as viewed in Figures 1 and 3 are provided with stiffener channels 43 of metal or any suitable material.

The legs of the channels 43 closely engage the upper edge surface of the tiles and of the kerfs 41 while the channel web lies flush against the tile rabbets 42. The left hand edges of the tiles T are provided with similarly mounted stiffener channels 44, the upper leg 45 of each of which is turned back flat on itself to form a sealing flange or spline 46 which contacts the upper leg of the stiffener channel 43 to effectively prevent breathing between the edges of the abutting tiles.

It will be readily apparent that the stiffener channels 43 and 44 whose webs abut when their tiles T are in installed position will not only prevent any sagging of the tiles due to the span length and prevent breathing between the tiles, but will materially enhance the demountability of the tiles when access to the area above the ceiling is desired. The combined stiffener channel and spline 44 may be readily lifted off or above an underlying tile as compared to other structures where this is not possible due to the engagement of a flat or T-spline in the kerfs of abutting tiles.

In the installation of the ceiling comprising the invention, the wire hangers 16 are suspended from the rough ceiling at properly spaced points by suitable anchors. The lower ends of the turnbuckles 18 may be provided with hooks or wire as shown and secured to the upper ends of the hanger clips 12.

The hanger clips 12 are of inverted T shape sheet metal with a base 48 which conforms in shape and dimensions to the interior of the runner channels 10 into which they are placed (Figures 1-3 inclusive). The upper ends of the clips are provided with a pair of spaced tongues 50 having upper and lower curved slots 51 and bent at right angles to the clip body in a vertical plane, and a lower pair of tongues 52 which are bent downwardly into a horizontal plane.

Each of the channel spacing L bars 19 is provided with a vertical slot 53 adjacent each end and so positioned that when the ends of two adjacent L bars are positioned on the horizontal tongues 52, the tongues 50 will project through the slots 53 (Figure 2). The outer ends of the tongues 50 are now twisted as with a pair of pliers so as to lock the ends of two of the L bars to each of the clips 12, the arcuate notches facilitating this action when an L bar 19 is not flush against the clip body 12 on the tongues 52, by camming it into position. Rigidity of the L bar spacers is assured between the hanger clips 12 and an adjacent wall by cutting an L bar 56 to the specific length and fastening its wall end thereto by a wall mounted bracket 58.

The runner channels 10 are thus supported by the clips 12 and maintained in rigid parallel relationship the length of a tile or two or four feet apart and may extend any desired length by the use of splice channels 54 which conform to the inner dimensions of and telescope within the adjacent abutting ends of a pair of runner channels 10.

It will be noted that the clips 12 support the spacing L bars 19, the channels 10, and by means of the hook splines 30, the tiles T, which support and are stiffened by the breather splines 46, and the entire assembly is assured of being level due to the use of the turnbuckles IS. With the placing of the runner channels, the tiles T are ready to be positioned as soon as the opposed pairs of rabbeted edges of the tiles which are to abut other tiles are provided with the stiffener channels 43 and 44 as set forth above.

The horizontal flange 36 of a support spline 30 is now placed in the kerf 40 of each of the opposite edges of a tile T and the flat hooks 32 of each placed over the adjacent vertical flanges 24 of a pair of runner channels, this places the bottom face of the tile flush with the lower face of the runner channel. It will be noted that the corrugation 38 not only strengthens the horizontal kerf-entering flange 36 but frictionally engages the side of the kerf. The placing of tiles in each row continues as indicated until completed.

It will now be readily apparent that the construction described enables easy installation, a flush attractive lower surface, and great stability. Each tile is interlocked by the support splines 3Φ to the adjacent runner channel flanges 24 while the support splines 30 and the combined stiffener and sealing splines 44 prevent “breathing” of the finished ceiling. The support splines 30 cannot be accidentally dislodged by movement due to earthquake, etc. (unless of such severity as would destroy the building) as the hook portion 32 extends toward but does not rest on the channel flange 26. Thus, the weight of the two support splines 30 and of the tile prevent dislodging of the latter.

Any tile is readily demountable by pushing upwardly on it adjacent a runner channel to thus lift the support spline hook 32 out of engagement with the channel flanges 24. This movement is not interfered with as by the sealing spline or support spline of prior art structures which interlock in the kerfs of adjacent tiles, but is readily permitted by the sealing spline 46 which lightly rests on the stiffener channel 43.

It will be noted that the sealing and stiffening splines 43 and 44, engaging the upper kerfs 41, do not rest on the hook spline flanges 36 but abut the depending flange 34 to effect the breathing seal. Where desired, as shown in Figure 5, an inverted T spline may be positioned in the upper kerfs 41 to reinforce the title and to act as a breather spline.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.