Patent Application
20110099934
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to removable ceiling installations, and more particularly to an underdeck ceiling and water collection system.
2. Description of Related Art
Attempts have been made to provide undercover systems for decks to prevent water and debris passing through the deck floorboards from reaching the space beneath the deck. Some such systems are permanently installed below the deck, creating difficulties when it is necessary to clear away debris that has fallen between deck floorboards into the collection system. Other systems do not provide a level of finished appearance desired for more expensive homes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,941 to Stevens purports to describe an undercover system in which water collection panels are not permanently attached to the building structure and which can be cleaned. However, the collection panels span an entire dimension of the deck without intermediate support, and as a result their weight is borne by substantial tubular beams underlying the ends of the panels. This requires relatively complex and expensive manufacture of components for the system. Other underdeck systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,279,271 and 7,434,358.
The present invention seeks to provide solutions to problems in the field by providing a ceiling system including ceiling members that are supported intermediate their ends while still being easily removed individually from the ceiling, are positioned to catch liquid and debris from above, and provide a pleasing appearance from below. The system can be configured so that the ceiling members are supported without being held in place by fasteners, and removal of the ceiling members can occur without the removal of any such fasteners.
The present invention accomplishes these objectives by providing, according to one of its embodiments, a ceiling system for installation under a support structure comprising a plurality of ceiling members, each such ceiling member including an elongate panel, at least one inverted J-shaped female leg opening in a first direction and extending upwardly from the panel and outwardly beyond a first elongate side edge of the elongate panel, and at least one inverted J-shaped male leg opening in the first direction and extending upwardly, the male leg being positioned at or proximate a second elongate side edge of the elongate panel and shaped to nest within a female leg of an adjacent ceiling member; and a plurality of downwardly extending J-shaped hooks mounted to the support structure in an array, each of the plurality of hooks opening in a second direction and shaped to receive one of the male legs and one of the female legs, wherein two of the ceiling members are positioned adjacent to one another with the male leg of one of the ceiling members nested within the female leg of the adjacent ceiling member and the nested legs supported on at least one of the hooks, and the hooks are positioned to define a clearance space therebetween such that the female leg of the adjacent ceiling member is liftable into the clearance space and the male leg of the one ceiling member is removable from its supporting hook.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the hooks may be defined in a track, wherein at least a first hook and a second hook of the plurality of hooks are spaced apart by a distance selected to position the first hook to receive the male leg of the one ceiling member and to position the second hook to receive the female leg of the one ceiling member. The track may be a strip of sheet material defining a cutout therein defining the J-shaped hooks; and a plurality of fastener openings defined in an area of the strip extending above the cutout. The male and female legs may each comprise a continuous leg along a respective one of the elongate side edges of the elongate panel.
The system may further comprise a plurality of downwardly extending J-shaped finishing hooks mounted to the support structure and opening in the first direction and shaped to receive at least one leg of a finish ceiling member. The finish ceiling member may comprise an elongate finish panel, at least one of the inverted J-shaped male legs opening in the first direction along a first elongate finish panel side edge, and at least one inverted L-shaped finish leg extending upwardly and inwardly from a second elongate finish panel side edge, and wherein at least two of the plurality of finish hooks are spaced apart along the second elongate finish panel side edge. The inverted L-shaped finish leg of the finish ceiling member may comprise a continuous finish leg defining a plurality of cutouts spaced to allow passage of the spaced-apart finish hooks therethrough.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the system includes an elongate gutter member, wherein the gutter member is mounted transverse to a lower end of each of the plurality of adjacent ceiling members and defines a trough positioned to receive water from the lower ended of the adjacent ceiling members. The gutter member may further comprise an attachment flange positioned to be attached to the support structure.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the tracks may be bent between the cutout and the plurality of fastener openings such that the strip can be mounted to the support structure via the fastener openings. Further, the strip may be bendable at two places to allow selection of the distance between the support structure and the hooks.
According to a further embodiment, the invention provides an integral blank of sheet material comprising a strip of sheet material; a plurality of spaced-apart cutouts in the strip defining a plurality of J-shaped hooks; and a plurality of fastener openings defined in an area of the strip extending above the cutouts. Each cutout may extend from an open side of one of the J-shaped hooks to a closed side of an adjacent J-shaped hook and define a supporting buttress integral with the closed side of the J-shaped hook. The strip may include at least one line of weakness between a pair of the hooks at which the strip may be separated. The strip may be bent longitudinally between the cutouts and the plurality of fastener openings to provide a fastener flange. Further, the strip may be bendable at two places to allow selection of the distance between the fastener flange and the hooks.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
When describing parts of the present invention, words of orientation, such as “above” and “below” are sometimes used to indicate relative position, rather than an orientation with respect to the earth's gravitational field. Reference should be had to the context to determine whether a relative or gravitational orientation is intended.
The present disclosure, according to various embodiments, provides for an underdeck collector system that is designed to be installed under a deck support structure to collect fluids, in including rain water, that pass through the deck, and to drain the fluids towards a gutter in order to prevent the fluids from falling onto the area under the deck. The underdeck collector system includes a plurality of adjacent ceiling members that form a ceiling under the deck. The ceiling members are hung on an array of hooks that are mounted to the support structure in such a manner to allow the ceiling members to form a ceiling when installed. Additionally, the hooks are designed to enable individual ceiling members to be removed from the underdeck collector system without having to remove all of the ceiling members. Furthermore, the ceiling members function as a drainage system for the fluids that pass through the deck, as fluids are collected on the top of each ceiling member and drained towards the gutter. To facilitate the drainage towards the gutter, the hooks are situated so that one end of the ceiling members is more elevated than the other end of the ceiling members, thus allowing the fluids to flow downward toward the gutter, which is situated proximate the lower ends of the ceiling members. Fluids are able to collect in the gutter and may be further drained from the gutter though one or more downspouts (not shown) that may be positioned to receive the fluids from the gutter.
Reference is now made to
Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the underdeck collector system 10 includes an elongate higher end cap 15 and an elongate gutter member 16. The higher end cap 15 is mounted to the support structure 17, is situated transverse to the length of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12, and is positioned to receive the higher ends of the ceiling members 11 and 12. The gutter member 16 is mounted to the support structure 17 at the opposite (lower) ends of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12, situated transverse to and positioned to receive their lower ends. The higher ends of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 rest on the higher end cap 15 and the lower end of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 rest on the gutter member 16 in a manner described in more detail below. The gutter member 16 defines a trough positioned to receive fluids from the lower end of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12, also described in more detail below.
Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present invention, the underdeck collector system 10 includes an elongate higher end cap 15 and an elongate gutter member 16. The higher end cap 15 is mounted to the support structure 17 and situated proximate the higher track 13 in a position where the higher end of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 may rest transverse to the higher end cap 15 when the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 are installed. The gutter member 16 is mounted to the support structure 17 and situated proximate the lower track 14 in a position where the lower end of the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 may rest transverse the gutter member 16 when the ceiling members 11 and finish ceiling member 12 are installed.
As shown in
In particular embodiments, the track 30 is an integral blank 306 of sheet material, for example a strip of sheet metal, in which a plurality of spaced-apart cutouts 304 define the plurality of hooks 302 and in which a plurality of fastener openings 307 are defined in an area of the strip extending above the cutouts 304. Two parallel rows 316 and 317 of fastener openings 307 may be provided. Each of the plurality of hooks 302 is shaped to receive one of the male legs 112 and one of the female legs 111 of a ceiling member 11, and each of the plurality of hooks 302 opens in the same direction as the other hooks 302. In various embodiments, the plurality of hooks 302 define J-shaped hooks, and in even further embodiments, the plurality of hooks 302 define downwardly extending J-shaped hooks. Other shapes and orientations for the hooks 302 may be employed, according to embodiments of the present invention. Within the integral blank, each cutout 304 extends from an open side of one of the J-shaped hooks 302 to a closed side of an adjacent, or second, J-shaped hook 302. Furthermore, each cutout is shaped such that each J-shaped hook 302 includes a supporting buttress 305 integral with the closed side of the J-shaped hook 302.
In addition, the integral blank 306 is bendable longitudinally above the cutouts 304, for example at a right angle to form a fastener flange 320, as shown in
Furthermore, the integral blank 306 may include at least one line of weakness 301 between a pair of the downwardly extending J-shaped hooks 302, formed by a line of perforations through the sheet material. The lines of weakness allow the integral blank to be broken apart into one or more hook units 300, according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the lines of weakness do not significantly compromise the structural integrity of the track assembly, because the fastener flange 320 can be attached to the support structure between every pair of lines of weakness. Each hook unit 300 includes at least one of the cutouts 304 and at least one of the J-shaped hooks 302, and a plurality of fastener openings 307 defined in the area of the fastener flange 320 associated with the unit 300.
In addition, the finish hook unit 31 is bendable like the track 30 at different crease lines with respect to the fastener openings 322 and 323 to form a fastener flange 325, such that when the finish hook unit 31 is bent it can be mounted to the underside of the support structure 17. To fabricate a finish hook unit compatible with the higher track assembly 13, the finish hook unit 31 is bendable along a crease line 314 located to create a fastener flange 325a and to position the finish hook 311 at the same distance below the support structure as the hooks 302 of the higher track assembly 13. In the alternative, the finish hook unit 31 is bendable along a crease line 313 located between a top row of fastener openings 322 and of the circular fastener openings 323. This creates a finish hook unit with a fastener flange 325b in which the hooks 311 will extend below the support structure the same distance as the hooks 302 of the lower track assembly 14.
With reference to
Although the hooks 302 are shown provided along a one-piece track, the hooks can be provided on individual members attached to the support structure in a spaced array suitable for hanging the ceiling members.
The higher end cap 15 is mounted to the support structure parallel to the tracks 30 adjacent to the extending ends of the ceiling members 11, 12 so that the extending ends of the ceiling panels are positioned, when installation is complete, spaced apart from the vertical panel 153 but covered from below by the flange panel 151.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the overall length of each of the ceiling panels 11, 12 is shorter than the distance between the installed positions of the vertical panel 153 of the higher end cap 15 and the vertical back panel 162 of the gutter 16, for example, by about 2 inches. This end gap tolerance allows the ceiling members to be manipulated during installation and removal as described below, and to drain into the trough 160. In many installations, the ceiling members 11, 12 will be of approximately equal length and the end members 15 and 16 will be approximately parallel to one another. However, when support structure is not rectangular, the end members may follow its curvature or corners, and the ceiling members may be varied in length so that a similar end gap tolerance is maintained.
The underdeck collector system 10 according to embodiments of the present invention typically is installed after construction of a deck having a support structure 17 including a plurality of spaced apart, parallel floor joists. Building walls often lie closely adjacent to one or more edges of the deck structure. The purpose of the underdeck collector system 10 is to provide a ceiling under the floor joists 19 that can prevent rain water, other liquids, dirt, and debris from falling through the deck flooring and joists onto the area below the deck, and also can provide a pleasing appearance. Given a deck structure, ceiling members 11, a finish ceiling member 12, typically two track units 30a, 30b bent to provide higher and lower hooks, a higher end cap 15, and a gutter end piece 16, are manufactured to fit the space using conventional sheet metal fabrication equipment. Track pieces can be trimmed to length using the lines of weakness 301.
Installation according to an embodiment of the inventions begins by securing the track assemblies 13 and 14 to the underside of the joists 19 of the support structure 17, positioning the track assemblies parallel to one another and spaced inwardly from the respective edges of the deck that run transverse to the joists, as shown in
Before or after installation of the track assemblies, the higher end cap 15 and the gutter 16 are installed by driving similar fasteners up through the flashing 152 and the gutter attachment flange 165, respectively, into the joists near respective ends of the joists. Typically, the higher end cap 15 will be positioned adjacent to and along a building wall, with the flashing 152 and reinforced flange 151 extending under the joists toward the tracks. The gutter 16 will be positioned along the opposite edge of the deck away from the building wall, with the trough 160 opening under the joists and toward the tracks. If another building wall or the like restricts space along the deck at one of the ends of the track assemblies, then that end is selected to receive the finish hook units 31. If the deck is bounded by walls on three sides, both ends of the track assemblies may be provided with finish hook units 31. If desired, a downspout (not shown) may be connected to carry water from the gutter 16.
The installation shown in
Turning to the finish ceiling member 12, the male leg 121 is hung on the hooks 302 of the tracks 30 closest to the finish hook units 31. Generally described, the cutouts 123 in the inverted L-shaped leg 122 are passed over the hooks 311, requiring little clearance between the hook 311 and an adjacent wall. Then the ceiling member 12 is slid into a position in which a solid portion of the leg 122 rests on each hook 311, and the ends of the ceiling member are positioned one over the reinforced flange 151 and the other over the trough 160. Described in more detail, it will be seen that one of the cutouts 123 is spaced from one end of the ceiling member a distance to allow that (lower) end to clear the gutter 16 as the ceiling member is raised past the hooks 311 of the unit 31b. Then that lower end of the ceiling member can be slid farther than its final distance into the gutter. At that position, the second cutout 123 is positioned at the other hook 311 of the unit 31a, and the other (upper) end of the ceiling member can clear the flange 151 as the cutout is raised past the hook 311. Then the ceiling member is slid back toward the vertical panel 153 until the upper end reaches its final position above the flange 151, with the lower end emptying into the gutter and both ends hidden from below.
One of the ceiling members 11 then is installed under the tracks adjacent to the finish ceiling member by hanging its female leg 111 on the same hooks 302 of the track assemblies 13 and 14 that previously received the male leg 121 of the finish ceiling member 12, and hanging its male leg 112 over the next hooks 302, as best shown in
The ceiling members' weight is borne by the tracks 30, 31, not by the flange 151 or gutter 16, although the ceiling member may or may not touch the flange 151 or lip 164. Furthermore, the cutouts 304 do not reduce the weight bearing strength of the tracks, because the vertical span of track material adjacent each hook 302 is intact.
The configuration of the tracks 30 and ceiling members 11 allow easy removal and installation of any individual ceiling member without removal of adjacent ceiling members, taking advantage of the cutouts 304 provided for this purpose. Each ceiling member 11a when installed has a male leg 112 trapped by a female leg 111 of a first adjacent ceiling member 11b, and a female leg 111 resting on a male leg 112 of a second adjacent ceiling member 11e, as shown in
It should be noted that during installation and use of the system, in the disclosed embodiment no fasteners of any type need secure the ceiling members to any track, to any joist or other part of the support structure, or to any other ceiling member. Likewise, removal of individual ceiling members can occur without removal of any fasteners. Fasteners could be added as desired, but they are not required.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
