The present invention relates to a housing construction system and, particularly, to a system for providing drop ceilings or wall covering structures.
A number of different systems and structures exist for providing a drop or suspended ceiling or wall structures in a room. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, suspended ceilings are assembled such that they are spaced a predetermined distance below ceiling joists, in contrast to ceilings that are mounted directly on strips attached to a ceiling joist or an original ceiling structure. Suspended ceilings generally comprise a plurality of individual ceiling tiles. The individual tiles may take a number of overall geometries, but are typically rectangular or square. Many different materials are used to fabricate ceiling tiles, such as pressed fibrous materials or synthetic polymers. In particular, it is known to use synthetic resins to form precast ceiling tiles that are lightweight, washable and durable. These precast tiles may be provided with an embossed or textured surface to add an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the tile surface that is exposed to view when installed.
Many of the most common drop ceiling systems currently in use require a complicated track system that aligns and supports individual tiles. It will be appreciated that for proper installation of the tiles, the grid and tiles must meet a number of geometrical requirements. That is, the faces of the tiles must generally lie in a single plane so that a uniform surface is obtained. The tiles must generally be positioned in orderly arrays of rows and columns, although in some configurations, alternating rows or columns may be offset a predetermined uniform distance. In any event, the ceiling tiles are generally arranged such that a uniform pattern is created. In addition, there must be means by which the tiles can accommodate variances in the geometry of the ceiling space at corners, pillars and the like, as well as around the perimeter of the ceiling space. These systems are complicated and require substantial amounts of time to assemble.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a construction kit for securing a secondary ceiling structure to a base member. The kit includes a plurality of elongated structural support members, each having a base coupling portion with a mounting surface configured to fixedly attach to the base member. A coupling mechanism is integrally formed with and longitudinally extends along the length of the support member. A plurality of substantially planar wall structures are provided having an interior major surface and an opposite exterior major surface. At least one outwardly facing wall structure coupling mechanism is integrally formed with the interior major surface of the wall structures and is configured to interlock with the support member coupling mechanism, thereby securing the wall structures to the support members.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a wall surfacing system for providing a secondary ceiling or wall covering structure adjacent a primary structure. The system includes a plurality of elongated structural support rails, each support rail having a coupling web with a bearing surface for attachment to the primary structure, a coupling mechanism, and a fixed length stringer portion integrally formed with and connecting the coupling web to the coupling mechanism. A plurality of generally planar surface panels are provided. Each panel has an integral interlocking member configured to mate with the coupling mechanism on the support rail. The elongated support rails are secured to primary structures, thereby suspending the surface panels to form an aesthetically pleasing covered surface.
As such, it is an object of the present invention to provide an interior surfacing system, such as a suspended ceiling or wall system that is easy to install and provides a generally uninterrupted interior surface.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description in the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description, drawings, and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a and 15b illustrate a wall construction system for use around an I-beam structure;
a-17m illustrate cross-sections of selected variations of the support members;
a-18h illustrate cross-sections of various couplings, corner members and trim members;
a-19c represent a set of support members having varying spanner lengths;
a and 23b represent a crown molding element with associated coupling features;
a and 25b represent a modular light member configured to couple to the ceiling wall members described herein.
The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
The present invention relates to an interior housing construction system for providing drop ceilings and other wall covering structures.
In various embodiments, the support members 34 are monolithic in design and extruded from PVC or a similar material. One presently preferred material includes such a PVC compound provided by Georgia Gulf Chemicals & Vinyls, LLC, of Madison, Miss. It should be understood that various other suitable thermoplastics including, but not limited to, nylons can be used. It should also be noted that the support members 34 of the present invention have a cross-section that allows for the extrusion of predetermined lengths. This includes various optional trim members that will be discussed in more detail below, including end pieces, interior corner pieces, exterior corner pieces, center seam members, soffit covering pieces, and the like.
With renewed reference to
In various aspects of the present invention, the wall structure members 50 are suspended below the base member 32 to form an aesthetically pleasing interior surface. Within the predefined distance, or cavity 33, between the base member 32 and the wall surface structures 50, various components or auxiliary devices can be encapsulated or hidden from view. Non-limiting examples include HVAC venting and ducts 62, recessed or canister lights 64, various pipes 66, such as water and gas, and other items such as phone wires, speaker wires, cable wires, and the like (not shown). It is envisioned that the wall surface structures 50 are made of materials and arranged in configurations which allow for the cutting of the wall surface structure 50 to allow ducts 62 or lights 64 to breach the wall surface structures 50. In certain embodiments, the support members 34 are designed having means for supporting such auxiliary devices with an additional supporting surface 68 or the like. The support members can also be provided with clips or areas to rest lights 64, cables, speaker wires, phone wires, or the like.
In various embodiments, it is desirable to use trim members, such as end pieces 70, which are used to support the wall surface structures 50 along end areas such as walls. As shown in
Additionally shown in
In certain embodiments, it may be desired to incorporate room partitions 116 that physically extend outward from a main portion of the wall structure 100 operable to separate a larger area into one or more smaller areas. The room partitions generally include the use of various combinations of similar wall structures 50 support members 34, 34′. In various embodiments, one can incorporate spacer materials 118 that are disposed between the surface panels 50 of the partition 116. Non-limiting examples of spacer materials 118 typically include foam sound or thermal insulation that serves to audibly separate one room from another. In certain embodiments, the wall structures 50 couple to support members 34, 34′ that are additionally configured to couple with the spacer materials 118 with a suitable coupling mechanism 119.
As best shown in
As best seen in
a and 15b represent the use of the wall construction system 100 to surround an I-beam structure 135. As can be seen, the system 100 utilizes modified corner mounting support members 136 that have coupling mechanisms 138a, 138b located perpendicular to one another. Additionally shown is a first angular corner member 140 having a receiving channel 141 adjacent a biased corner flange 142. Also shown is another L-shaped corner member 144. As best seen in
a-17m represent cross-sections of selected variations of the support members 34, 34′, 34″ according to the principles of the present invention. As can be seen, the coupling mechanisms 42 can either have a male or female coupling configuration, or any combination thereof. Additionally, these mechanisms 42 can be formed having features offset perpendicular to one another that allows for perpendicular joining of surface components. In various embodiments, it may be desirable to use more than one support member in series. In this manner, one of the support members serves as a spacing extension member configured for positioning between a support member 34 and the wall structure 50 when extra length is needed. In certain embodiments, the support member has more than one stringer member 40.
Various support members 34′ can be used to couple various other support members 34 together to provide mounting points for the wall structures 50. It should be understood that they can be used in combination to form complex support structures as desired for the particular use or application. In this regard, it should be understood that the various deformable male and female coupling members are interchangeable with one another and all of the various combinations are within the scope of the present invention. These coupling members allow for the disengagement of the members when a predetermined load is applied to the fascia components 42.
a-18h represent cross-sections of various couplings, corner members, and trim members as shown in
a-19c represent a set of supporting members having varying spanner lengths according to the present teachings. Shown is a mounting member 170 having a pair of stringer members 172. The stringer members 173 are generally parallel and coupled together at a first mounting end of 174. At a second end, the stringer members 172 are tied together with a coupling member 174. The stringer members 172, coupling member 179, and mounting end 174 form a closed box section 176 that can span the length of the mounting member 170. Disposed at the second end is the first and second coupling mechanisms 180. The coupling mechanism defines a pair of coupling channels 182. The coupling channels 182 can have generally square cross-sections 184 and are configured to couple with the panel coupling members as generally described and shown above. The square cross-sections 184 have three generally flat coupling sides. One side 186 is defined on a portion of the stringer members 172. As shown in
As best seen in
a and 23b represent side and perspective views of a crown molding member 120 according to the present teachings. The member 120 has a stand-off portion 122 which locates the mounting 120 a fixed distance from an upper mounting surface 124. Generally perpendicular to the stand-off portion is a wall engagement surface 126. Disposed between the wall engagement surface 126 is a stand-off flange 128 which properly spaces the decorative surface 130. Associated with the stand-off flange 128 is a coupling member 132 configured to couple the crown molding to a ceiling member (see above).
As shown in
a and 25b represent side and perspective views of the light support members coupled to the support members described above. Shown is a panel member 140 having an incorporated light reflector. The panel member 140 has coupling flanges 146 as described above which couple the panel to the coupling member 170. Also shown is a pair of connectors 148 which electrically couple the fixture to a power source. It is envisioned the light element can be a low voltage light emitting diode. The LED can be powered through the contacts described in
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the present invention generally refers to a housing construction system for providing interior surfaces, such as drop ceilings and other wall covering structures, it is contemplated that the present invention can also be used to provide exterior surfaces, such as for use under decks and the like.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/214,615 filed on Aug. 30, 2005. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/614,406, filed on Sep. 29, 2004. The entire disclosure of each of the above applications is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60614406 | Sep 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11214615 | Aug 2005 | US |
Child | 12901777 | US |