Patent Application
20230332403
This application relates to ceilings and, in particular, to drop ceilings.
Present drop ceilings suffer from a variety of drawbacks, limitations, and disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a need for inventive systems, methods, components, and apparatuses described herein.
The embodiments may be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale. Moreover, in the figures, like-referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
In one example, a ceiling grid strut is provided that includes a rail and a strut channel that is integral to the rail. The rail includes a top, a bottom, and two sides, wherein the two sides are wider than the top and the bottom, wherein the top includes an upper slot, and the bottom includes a lower slot, and wherein the upper slot, the lower slot, or both is/are threaded. A top of the strut channel extends along the bottom of the rail. The lower slot in the bottom of the rail opens into the top of the strut channel. A channel opening extends along a bottom of the strut channel. The strut channel includes two panel shelves, two sidewalls, and two inner ledges. The panel shelves are located at the top of the strut channel. Each of the panel shelves extends outwards from a respective one of the two sides of the rail and substantially perpendicular to a vertical axis of the rail. An upper surface of each of the panel shelves is configured to support an edge of a respective ceiling panel, wherein the sidewalls of the strut channel extend from the panel shelves and away from the bottom of the rail. The inner ledges are located at the bottom of the strut channel and define the channel opening.
In a second example, a ceiling grid assembly is provided that includes a first ceiling grid strut, a second ceiling grid strut, a first threaded fastener, a second threaded fastener, and a connector. The connector includes a first projection and a second projection. Each of the first and second projections has a respective hole. The first projection is coupled to the first ceiling grid strut by the first threaded fastener, which passes through the hole of the first projection of the connector and is threaded into the upper slot of the rail or the lower slot of the rail of the first ceiling grid strut. The second projection is coupled to the second ceiling grid strut by the second threaded fastener, which passes through the hole of the second projection of the connector and is threaded into the upper slot of the rail or the lower slot of the rail of the second ceiling grid strut.
One technical advantage of the strut and grid assemblies described below may be that in some examples, nothing protrudes below the bottom surface of the ceiling grid strut enabling other hardware to interface up to the bottom of the ceiling grid strut unobstructed. Another technical advantage of the strut and grid assemblies described below may be that hanging loads may be attached to the strut channel instead of into threaded slot(s) of the rail. This enables universal strut connectivity rather than having multiple versions of the strut based on an all-thread rod size to be attached to the strut and/or grid assembly. Another technical advantage may be to avoid compromising the threaded slot(s) of the rail due to dynamic rearrangements of the hanging loads or during reconfiguration of the loads. Another technical advantage of the strut and grid assemblies described below is that the panel shelves are built into the ceiling grid strut.
The ceiling grid strut 102 includes a rail 104 and a strut channel 106. The strut channel 106 is integral to the rail 104. In other words, the strut channel 106 and the rail 104 are formed as a single piece instead of two parts coupled, bonded, and/or welded together. For example, the ceiling grid strut 102 may be an extrusion formed by extruding a material such as aluminum through an extrusion die. The ceiling grid strut 102 may be made of any suitable material such as metal, metal alloy, or fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP).
In the example illustrated in
A top 118 of the strut channel 106 extends along the bottom 110 of the rail 104. The lower slot 116 in the bottom 110 of the rail 104 opens into the top 118 of the strut channel 106. A channel opening 120 extends along a bottom 122 of the strut channel 106.
The strut channel 106 comprises two panel shelves 124, two sidewalls 126, and two inner ledges 128. The panel shelves 124 are located at the top 118 of the strut channel 106. Each of the panel shelves 124 extends outwards from a respective one of the two sides 112 of the rail 104 and substantially perpendicular to a vertical axis 130 of the rail 104. The sidewalls 126 of the strut channel 106 extend downward from the panel shelves 124 and away from the bottom 110 of the rail 104. The inner ledges 128 are located at the bottom 122 of the strut channel 106 and define the channel opening 120.
In the example shown in
The rail 104 shown in
The rail 104 may have a substantially rectangular cross-section as shown in
Where the lower slot 116 is a threaded slot, the threaded slot includes a first set of grooves 208 on a first side of the lower slot 116 and a second set of grooves 210 on a second side of the lower slot 116. The second set of grooves 206 are vertically offset from the first set of grooves 204 so that the threaded slot may receive a threaded fastener (for example, the threaded fastener is shown in
Similarly, where the upper slot 114 is a threaded slot, the threaded slot includes a first set of grooves 204 on a first side of the upper slot 114 and a second set of grooves 206 on a second side of the upper slot 114. The second set of grooves 206 are vertically offset from the first set of grooves 204 so that the threaded slot may receive the threaded fastener (for example, the threaded fastener is shown in
In some examples, the strut 102 many not include the upper slot 114. In alternative examples, the strut 102 may not include the lower slot 116.
The threaded fasteners 304 may be any fastener that has threads. Examples of the threaded fasteners include screws, bolts, and threaded rods.
The connector 302 includes at least a first projection 306 and a second projection 306. Each of the first and second projections 306 has a respective hole 308. The first projection 306 is coupled to the first ceiling grid strut 102 by the first threaded fastener 304, which passes through the hole 308 of the first projection 306 of the connector and is threaded into the lower slot 116 of the rail 104 of the first ceiling grid strut 102. Similarly, the second projection 306 is coupled to the second ceiling grid strut 102 by the second threaded fastener 304, which passes through the hole 308 of the second projection 306 of the connector 302 and is threaded into the lower slot 116 of the rail 104 of the second ceiling grid strut 102.
In some examples, the projections 306 include tabs 310. The tabs 310 may be slidably engaged in the lower slot 116 of the rail 104. The tabs 310 may be located at distal ends of the projections 306, such as in the example shown in
In the illustrated example, each of the first and second projections 306 of the connector 302 is inserted into the respective one of the first and second strut channels 106. In alternative examples, the projections 306 (and the connector 302) are located outside of the strut channels 106 and are fastened to the bottom 122 of the strut channels 106 (such an example is shown in
Alternatively or in addition, the connector 302 may be coupled to the top 108 of the rail 104 of the struts 102 (such an example is shown in
The connector 302 may have a hole 312 configured to receive a rod 314 that is attached to a primary ceiling (not shown). The hole 312 may be centrally located on the connector 302 as shown. More generally, the hole 312 may located on the connector 302 so that the hole 312 is located between the struts 102 when the connector 302 is coupled to the struts 102. A nut 316 may be screwed onto the bottom of the rod 314 below the connector 302 so as to support the ceiling grid assembly 300 by holding the connector 302 in place vertically.
The strut channel 106 of the strut 102 may support any type of load. Examples of the load include hot or cold aisle containment, power and cables, fiber cable, cable trays, or any other type of load. For example, as shown in
The ceiling grid assembly 300 may include additional hardware for supporting a load with the strut channel 106. For example, the ceiling grid assembly 300 may include a strut nut 318, a strut washer 320, and a threaded fastener 322 used to support a load. The example shown in
Although the ceiling grid assembly 300 includes the nut 324 under the strut washer 320, any other type of support structure connected to, or part of, the threaded fastener may support the strut washer 320 either alone or in combination with the nut 324.
The ends of some of the struts 102 shown in
Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “top” and “bottom” of a component refer to locations when the component is oriented as the component is configured to be installed in a drop ceiling. The term “top” refers to a location of the component that is closest to the primary ceiling, and the term “bottom” refers to a location of the component that is furthest from the primary ceiling. A vertical direction refers to the direction that is perpendicular to a plane containing the drop ceiling in which the component is configured to be installed.
To clarify the use of and to hereby provide notice to the public, the phrases “at least one of <A>, <B>, . . . and <N>” or “at least one of <A>, <B>, . . . or <N>” or “at least one of <A>, <B>, . . . <N>, or combinations thereof” or “<A>, <B>, . . . and/or <N>” are defined by the Applicant in the broadest sense, superseding any other implied definitions hereinbefore or hereinafter unless expressly asserted by the Applicant to the contrary, to mean one or more elements selected from the group comprising A, B, . . . and N. In other words, the phrases mean any combination of one or more of the elements A, B, or N including any one element alone or the one element in combination with one or more of the other elements which may also include, in combination, additional elements not listed. Unless otherwise indicated or the context suggests otherwise, as used herein, “a” or “an” means “at least one” or “one or more.”
While various embodiments have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible, Accordingly, the embodiments described herein are examples, not the only possible embodiments and implementations.
