Patent Application
20150085474
1. Field of the Invention
Suspended ceilings are used extensively in commercial and industrial buildings. In such ceilings, a metal grid framework, formed of interconnected T-beams, is hung from a structural ceiling by wires. The beams are roll-formed from continuous strips of sheet metal.
The grid supports panels in rectangular openings formed in the grid.
Such ceilings must resist earthquake tremors in accordance with applicable building codes:
This invention relates to a support, at selected locations in such grid, for an aluminum beam (AB) with light emitting diode (LED) lights. The support is installed at the time the suspended ceiling is constructed. The AB's with lights are installed later. By means of the invention, the suspended ceiling sustains its resistance to earthquakes with the AB's with LED lights installed, as in a prior-art ceiling without such AB's.
2. Prior Art
Suspended ceilings having folded sheet metal inverted T-beams interconnected at intersections into a grid that supports panels are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 7,926,238 ('238), for instance, incorporated herein by reference, shows such a ceiling.
The grid in such prior art ceilings has, at each grid intersection, a connection having a pair of opposing identical first and second cross beams connected respectively to first and second cross beam connectors, and to a main beam. To form such a prior art connection, the first and second cross beam connectors, fixed on the ends of opposing cross beams, are thrust, or stabbed-in, from opposing sides of the main beam, through a slot in the main beam, to connect with each other and with the main beam.
Numerous such stab-in connections at grid intersections are made to create a ceiling grid.
The present invention relates to the use of such prior art stab-in connections at grid intersections to form supports at selected locations for an aluminum grid (AB) with attached light emitting diode (LED) lights.
The prior art stab-in connection described above is modified to selectively create, as the ceiling grid is being installed, fixed cantilevered extensions at locations throughout a panel suspended ceiling, that is constructed in accordance with the applicable building codes, including those requirements relative to resistance to earthquakes. Aluminum beams (AB) with LED lights are later attached to the fixed cantilevered extensions, without disturbing the integrity of the suspended ceiling, including the resistance to such quakes.
The rolled sheet metal beams that are used in the grid of conventional prior art suspended ceilings, are not suitable to support LED lights.
In the present invention, the prior art stab-in connection referred to above, formed by a first cross beam connector on the end of a first cross beam that connects with an opposing identical second cross beam connector on the end of an opposing second cross beam, with both first and second cross beam connectors connecting with the main beam through the slot in the main beam, is modified.
The second cross beam connector, without any attached cross beam, is manually inserted into the slot, to connect with the opposing first cross beam connector on the end of the first cross beam, already in the slot, and the main beam. The second cross beam connector is desirably modified to provide an extended portion that enables the connector to be more easily manually inserted into the connector.
In either version described above, a fixed cantilevered extension is thus formed by the second cross beam connector, extending from the main beam and the first cross beam, that is capable of having attached thereto, and supporting, after such fixed cantilevered extension is created, the end of an AB with LED lights.
a is a top sectional view taken on the line 1a-1a in
The '238 patent is representative of the prior art connection on which this invention is based. The connection itself, and the method of making such connection, is set forth in detail in the '238 patent.
Such connection conforms to building codes, including their requirements as to earthquake resistance.
The prior art '238 connection on which the present invention is based, is shown in
In such prior art connection shown in
In a basic embodiment of the present invention, shown in
The result is a fixed cantilevered projection 10, as seen in
Such fixed cantilevered projections 10 are constructed at opposing sides of suspended ceiling rectangular grid openings where aluminum beams (ABs) 50 with LED lights are to be placed. The ABs are generally rolled into an inverted-T cross section, with lower flanges 53 and 54, and upper fins 52.
The ends of the ABs 50 with LED lights are attached to the fixed cantilevered projections 10 by, for instance, rivets 57 extending through matched rivet holes 56, in the fixed cantilevered extension 10 and the AB 50 as seen in
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a prior art second cross beam connector 22 as set forth above, is modified as shown in FIGS. 5,6, and 7, to provide an extended length that enables a second cross beam connector 22′ to be more easily inserted manually into the connection, and that provides a longer fixed cantilevered projection 10′.
In this preferred modified embodiment, second cross beam connector 22′ is formed by extending second cross beam connector 22 at 61 to provide a manual grip 62 with greater surface to grasp with fingers 63 than the surface of the second cross beam connector 22 by itself. A suitable surface configuration, such as a circular hump 64, enables the second cross beam connector 22′ to be more easily manually inserted into the connection, as shown in
The longer fixed cantilevered extension 10′ also provides a more stable support for AB 50. Alternatively, such a modified fixed cantilevered extension 22′ could be formed of two segments by fastening an extended portion to the second cross beam connector 22.
The invention, among other benefits, permits a first group of workers, skilled in installing prior art suspended prior art ceilings with folded sheet metal beams 20, 26, and 27, to create a suspended ceiling with the fixed cantilevered projections 10 installed at locations where the ABs 50 with LED lights are to be later installed. No panels are inserted at these locations during the initial construction of the suspended ceiling, so the fixed cantilevered extensions 10 are left exposed.
Later, a second group of workers, preferably electricians skilled in installing ABs with LED lights, simply connect the ABs 50 to the fixed cantilevered extensions 10 installed earlier by the first group of workers, and then make the electrical connections.
Once the ABs 50 with LED lights are secured to the fixed cantilevered extensions 10 of the invention, and the LED lights electrically wired, the openings adjacent such ABs 50 are closed by simply laying suitably sized ceiling panels on the flanges 53,54 of the ABs 50 and the flanges 66 of prior art roll-formed sheet metal beams of the suspended ceiling surrounding the ABs 50.
In the procedure described above, the invention permits the ceiling to maintain its compliance with particularly the earthquake requirements of the building codes, notwithstanding the lights in the ceiling are installed after the installation of the ceiling itself. The cantilevered supports of the invention make such continued compliance possible.
