The present invention is directed toward a fluid leak capture and drainage system and more particularly, toward a system which will protect furniture, computer equipment, and the like from damage caused by leaks from a ceiling.
Suspended or hung ceilings are often used in businesses and offices and are used to finish and conceal the space between the ceiling and the roof or floor above which is used for air conditioning and heating ducts, electrical conduits, and piping. Leaks may occur from the aforementioned elements, from an opening in the roof of the building, or from faulty plumbing or the like. If a proper leak capture and drainage system is not in place during a leak, computer equipment, electronic devices, documents, furniture, and the like are likely to get damaged.
Many attempts to solve this problem have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,343 to Rutledge discloses a leak-proof ceiling system which includes a pair of elongated longerons suspended beneath the roof. Troughs are suspended between the longerons. Each longeron has a shield member so that fluid contacts the shield member and is directed into the trough. A drainage system empties the troughs as they get filled. This device, however, cannot be installed into an existing ceiling and would therefore, be somewhat limited in its versatility and usefulness.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,591 to Duncan discloses a device for containing leaks above suspended ceilings. This device includes a receptacle which replaces a regular ceiling panel and is installed on the grid structure of the suspended ceiling. Fluid accumulates in the receptacle and is drained via an attached hose. However, because of the shape of the device, it may not be able to withstand significant leaks and thus, may not perform very effectively.
Other relevant inventions are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,167 to Drew et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,718 to Thornburgh. These inventions, however, do not appear to provide very effective drainage systems.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drainage system which will protect furniture, computer equipment, and the like from damage caused by leaks from a ceiling.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a drainage system which can be installed easily in an existing suspended ceiling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drainage system which includes a ceiling panel that maximizes fluid flow while minimizing the weight of the collected fluid and distributes the weight produced by the collection of fluid within the panel in an efficient manner.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a drainage system for ceiling leaks which includes a ceiling panel support grid and a plurality of ceiling panels mounted thereon. In one embodiment the ceiling panel has a raised platform located in the center of the panel and a wall extending along the periphery of the panel so that a perimeter trough is formed between the platform and the wall. The wall has a top edge and a rim extending outwardly and generally perpendicularly from the top edge of the wall and at least one opening formed through the wall. A fitting is connected to the opening and tubing is attached to the fitting for draining the trough as fluid collects therein. In other embodiments the panel includes a plurality of raised sections located within the panel and a plurality of troughs located between the raised sections and the walls. The walls have openings formed therein so that the troughs are in fluid communication with the openings.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown in
The drainage system essentially includes a ceiling panel support grid and a plurality of ceiling panels 12, 14, 16, and 18 mounted thereon. The support grid consists of main hanger beams 20 and 22 and intermediate hanger beams 24 and 26 which form a grid. The grid is suspended by wire supports 28, 30, 32, and 34 which extend from a connector attached to above-ceiling support structures (not shown) to attachment means on the main hanger beams 20 and 22, such as apertures formed within the beams. (See
While the system of the present invention includes a plurality of identical ceiling panels, only one will be described in detail it being understood that the others are constructed in substantially the same manner. The ceiling panel 12 has a raised platform 36 located in the center of the panel 12 and a wall 38 extending along the periphery of the panel so that a trough 40 is formed between the platform 36 and the wall 38. (See
The panel 12 is sized to fit in a standard two foot by four foot or two foot by two foot ceiling grid via rim 42 resting on the T-shaped structure of the grid. (See
Pipe fittings are used to connect the panels to each other. As shown in
A flange 66 extends vertically upwardly from the rim 42 of the wall 38 of the panel 12 and rests on the T-shaped structure of the grid. (See
Alternative embodiments of the present invention are shown in
The panels illustrated in
In all of the embodiments, not all of the panels in a ceiling need to be replaced with the present invention, only the panels selected by the installer. In this manner, only the areas of the room that need the most protection from damage caused by leaks from the ceiling will be protected.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/082,408, filed Feb. 26, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,502.
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10082408 | Feb 2002 | US |
Child | 10699718 | US |