The present invention is directed to a bar hanger for supporting a recessed luminaire and lighting fixture to ceiling joists and to a T-bar support of a suspended ceiling. The invention is particularly directed to a bar hanger that can be adapted for mounting to either a ceiling joist or to a T-bar support of a suspended ceiling.
Recessed luminaires and lighting fixtures for installation in wood construction typically include bar hangers that are coupled to the luminaire and including mounting ends for attachment to adjacent ceiling joists. Bar hangers commonly include a barbed or hooked nailer that is integrally formed from the bar hanger material blank. The bar hanger head is placed against the joist and a hammer is used to drive the nailer into the wood to fix the bar hanger to the joist. Once the nailer is driven into the joists, the wood and the nailer are permanently deformed and are not easily removed. This limits the ability to adjust the position of the bar hanger and luminaire once attached to the ceiling joist. Generally, a secondary fastener such as a nail or screw is added by the installer to ensure that the bar hanger is securely mounted to the ceiling joist.
Various support devices have been developed to support luminaires and other lighting fixtures in ceilings. The support devices can be a conventional bar hanger for attaching to ceiling joists or for attachment to a T-bar support rail for suspended ceilings. The bar hangers generally include a two-piece assembly having a pair of rails that are slidably connected together. The rails can be extended or retracted to fit between adjacent ceiling joists. One example of a bar hanger support for a recessed lighting fixture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,419 to Gabrius. In this device, the end portion of the bar hanger is provided with a bridge supporting a nail for attaching the bar hanger to the ceiling joist. A similar device is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,800 to Chan et al.
Other lighting fixtures and lighting supports are able to attach to ceiling joists or to a T-bar of a suspended ceiling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,574 to Hentz et al. discloses a lighting assembly having adjustable nailing plates at each end. A recess is formed in the edge of the frame to mount to a T-bar support. A similar device is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,011 to Sieczkowski.
While the above-noted bar hanger supports are generally suitable for their intended use, there is a continuing need for improved support members.
The present invention is directed to a bar hanger assembly for supporting a recessed luminaire and lighting fixture. The invention is particularly directed to a bar hanger assembly that can be mounted to a ceiling joist or to a T-bar support of a suspended ceiling.
The bar hanger of the invention is suitable for use in mounting electrical devices such as a lighting fixture to be recessed in a ceiling. The bar hanger includes sliding arms for adjusting the length of the bar hanger assembly to fit between adjacent joists. The ends of the arm include a mounting plate for attachment to the side surfaces of the ceiling joist. An attachment tab extends from the mounting plate along the bottom edge which is positioned along the bottom edge of the ceiling joist to position the bar hanger a predetermined distance from the bottom edge of the ceiling joist.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide a bar hanger assembly that can be modified for use with either ceiling joists or a T-bar support of a suspended ceiling. In one embodiment, the bar hanger includes a detent or hook-like member for attaching the bar hanger to the T-bar support.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide a bar hanger assembly having a tab that can be attached to a bottom surface of a ceiling joist where the tab can be bent to a position for attaching to a T-bar support.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide a bar hanger assembly having a tab that can be attached to a ceiling joist and bent to a different position for coupling with a T-bar support.
The various aspects of the invention are basically attained by providing a bar hanger for supporting a recessed electrical device on a ceiling support. The bar hanger has first and second telescoping support arms slidably connected together. Each support arm comprises an elongated support body having a first end and a second end. A mounting plate is coupled to the first end of the body and extends substantially perpendicular to a plane of the support body. The mounting plate has at least one aperture for receiving a fastener. An attachment member is coupled to a bottom edge of the mounting plate along a fold line. The attachment member has a substantially planar first side and an opposite second side, and a detent extending from the second side. The attachment member is bendable from a first position where the attachment plate extends substantially perpendicular to the mounting plate for contacting a bottom surface of a ceiling joist to a second position substantially parallel to the mounting plate for attaching to a T-bar support.
The aspects of the invention are further attained by providing a bar hanger for supporting a recessed electrical device to a ceiling support. The bar hanger has first and second telescoping support arms coupled together for sliding movement in a longitudinal direction. Each support arm comprises a support body having a longitudinal dimension with a first end, a second end, a top edge and a bottom edge. The bottom edge has a recess at the first end with a dimension to receive a T-bar support. A mounting plate is coupled to the first end of the support body and extends substantially perpendicular to a plane of the support body. The mounting plate has at least one aperture for receiving a fastener for attaching the mounting plate to a ceiling joist. A first attachment member and a second attachment member is coupled to a bottom edge of the mounting plate and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting plate for attaching to a bottom side of a ceiling joist. The first attachment member has a detent extending in a direction from a bottom side where the first attachment member is bendable from a first position perpendicular to the mounting plate to a second position substantially parallel to the mounting plate for contacting a bottom surface of the T-bar support.
The aspects of the invention are also attained by providing a bar hanger for supporting a recessed electrical device. The bar hanger has first and second telescoping support arms coupled together for sliding movement in a longitudinal direction. Each support arm comprises a support body having a longitudinal dimension with a first end and a second end, a top edge and bottom edge. A mounting plate is coupled to the first end of the support body and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the support body. An attachment member extends from a bottom edge of the mounting plate for contacting a bottom edge of a ceiling joist. The mounting plate has an aperture for receiving a fastener and a raised bridge integrally formed with the mounting plate and has a center portion spaced from the mounting plate to define an opening between the center portion and the mounting plate. A fastener extends through and couples to the bridge. The bridge has a longitudinal dimension extending at an acute angle with respect to a plane of the attachment member to enable a tool to be inserted into the opening and apply leverage against the ceiling joist.
These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the annexed drawings which disclose various embodiments of the invention.
The following is a brief description of the drawings in which:
The present invention is directed to a bar hanger for supporting a recessed electrical device, such as a luminaire and lighting fixture, to the ceiling joists or the T-bar of a suspended ceiling. The invention is particularly directed to a bar hanger that can be mounted to either a conventional ceiling joist or to a T-bar of a suspended ceiling.
Referring to the drawings, the invention in one embodiment is directed to a bar hanger 10 for supporting an electrical device. In the embodiments illustrated, the electrical device is a recessed luminaire and lighting fixture 12 that is attached to a support member 14. Support member 14 is attached to bar hanger 10 for positioning lighting fixture 12 in a recessed position with respect to the ceiling. As shown in
In the embodiment of
Support arms 16 have a longitudinal dimension and have a longitudinal channel 18 to allow each support arm 16 to slide with respect to each other. In this embodiment the channel 18 includes an elongated slot 20 for receiving a coupling member 22 for the coupling the support arms together while allowing longitudinal sliding movement. In other embodiments the support arm can be constructed in a telescoping arrangement where one arm forms a channel so that one support arm slides within the channel. Coupling member 22 include a pair of tabs 24 having enlarged heads 26 that are inserted through slots 22 for coupling support arms 16 together.
Support arms 16 have a first end 28 and a second end 30 with a top edge 32 and a bottom edge 34. As shown in
In one embodiment, support arm 16 includes a plurality of spaced-apart score lines 38 with apertures. Score lines 38 are preferably spaced-apart a distance to reduce the longitudinal length of bar hanger 10 when needed to fit between narrow ceiling joists.
Referring to
Mounting plate 40 has a dimension to attach to a ceiling joist and includes one or more holes 44 for receiving a fastener (not shown) for permanently attaching mounting plate 40 and support arm 16 to the ceiling joist. Mounting plate 40 has an outer face 46 for contacting the ceiling joist and an opposite inner face 48. As shown in
In preferred embodiments, bridge 50 is formed at a diagonal with respect to the longitudinal dimension of mounting plate 40 and at an acute angle with respect to a bottom edge 62 of mounting plate 40. Opening 56 has a dimension and is oriented in a position so that a tool, such as a claw hammer 64 as shown in
An attachment member 66 is coupled to mounting 40 as shown in
In the embodiment of
Second attachment tab 70 has a generally U-shaped configuration surrounding first attachment tab 68. Second attachment tab 70 includes a pair of legs 86 coupled to bottom edge 62 of mounting plate 40 and a main body portion 88 extending between legs 66. Body portion 88 in the embodiment illustrated has a circular hole 90 for receiving a fastener and an elongated hole 92. Elongated hole 92 is provided to allow adjustment and positioning of hanger bar 10 with respect to a ceiling joist.
In use, bar hanger 10 is attached to lighting fixture 12 and the resulting assembly is positioned between ceiling joists or ceiling supports. Bar hanger 10 is adaptable for mounting to a standard ceiling joist or to a T-bar support for suspended ceilings. As shown in
Bar hanger 10 can be mounted between a pair of spaced-apart ceiling joists 94. Bar hanger 10 is positioned in the desired location and fastener 60 is hammered to penetrate ceiling joist 94 to hold bar hanger 10 in the desired position. In the event further adjustment is needed, a claw hammer or other prying tool can be inserted into the opening under bridge 50 so that fastener 60 can be removed to reposition bar hanger 10. As shown in
Alternatively, bar hanger can mounted to ceiling joists by positioning the bar hanger and attaching by fasteners extending through elongated slot 92. This provides some adjustment of the bar hanger to a desired position. The fastener captured by the bridge can then be hammered into the joist. Additional fasteners are generally added to secure the bar hanger in place
Bar hanger 10 is also adaptable to mount directly to a T-bar ceiling support 96 as shown in
Bar hanger 10 is mounted to T-bar support by positioning top edge 100 of T-bar support 96 within notch 36 in support arm 16. As shown in
As shown in
A second embodiment of the invention is shown in
Attachment member 118 has a substantially planar configuration extending perpendicular to the plane of the respective support arm 114. A bridge 120 is formed to capture a fastener 122 for attaching bar hanger to a ceiling joist as in the previous embodiment. In the previous embodiment, the length of the bar hanger 112 can be shortened only by the length of the respective support arms since the ends of the support arms contact the mounting plate. A removable tab is provided which can be removed in the field to allow the support arm or channel to pass beyond the mounting plate. In the embodiment shown in
The section 130 can be bent perpendicular to the plane of mounting plate 116 or completely removed to define an opening 122 as shown in
Attachment member 118, as shown in
A third embodiment of the invention is shown in
Mounting plate 166 has a substantially planar configuration extending perpendicular to the plane of support arm 62 and includes a plurality of holes 172 for receiving fasteners to attach mounting plate 166 to a ceiling joist. A nailing bridge 174 for supporting a fastener is also provided as in the previous embodiments.
An attachment member 176 extends from a bottom edge 178 of mounting plate 166. Attachment member 176 has a substantially planar configuration and extends substantially perpendicular to the plane of mounting plate 166. Attachment member 176 is formed with an angled edge as shown to receive a tool to assist in removing attachment member 176 from a joist.
As shown in
In use, bar hanger 160 is attached to a lighting fixture 192 shown in
The bar hanger 160 is also adaptable for use in a T-bar support in a manner similar to the previous embodiments. When the bar hanger 160 is used with a T-bar support, the first tab 180 is bent away from second tab 182 and mounting plate 166 to the position shown in
Referring to
While various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/722,004, filed Sep. 30, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60722004 | Sep 2005 | US |