Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
lZ13118
The present invention provides connection means for a
suspended ceiling grid comprising a T-bar having an elongated
planar web, a laterally-extending flange portion on a lower
edge of the web and a connector portion extending longitudinally
forwardly from one end of the web and comprising a neck portion
for lodging in a secured position in an opening in a side wall
of a main grid member to which the T-bar is to be connected,
and a head portion with a lower edge inclining forwardly and
downwardly from the lower edge of the neck portion and having a
transverse width no greater than the width of the neck portion.
With this arrangement, the connector portion is well adapted to
be introduced into a slot or other opening in the side wall of
a main grid member by lowering the cross bar while maintaining
it in a generally horizontal plane, and without needing to tilt
or pivot the cross bar at any large angle relative to the
horizontal. The arrangement therefore facilitates the
connection of the cross bars to the main grid members, as it
permits the connection to be ma~e without needing to deflect
the main grid members to any large extent out of their normal
positions. The arrangement is also very well adpated to be
modified, as in a preferred form, to provide for a reaction
surface which reacts with a side surface of the main grid
member when the lower edge of the head portion engages the
slot, and to bias the head portion forwardly and permit the
upper edge of the neck portion to snap positively into the
slot.
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Although this connector portion may be formed integrally
with the end of the T-bar, advantageously, the connector portion
is formed on one end of a plate constituting a securable and
detachable connector member as described in more detail below.
A cross bar having such connector portion applied at each end
may readily be installed and secured between adjacent main grid
members without needing to unduly disturb or deflect the
suspended main grid members ~rom their normal positions, while,
when removal of any selected cross bar is desired, this can
readily be performed by simply unlocking the connector portion
from one or both ends of the cross bar. This arrangement is
particularly convenient as it permits the manufacturer to supply
the installers of the supsended ceil.ing structures with
assembled cross bar units having a connector member locked to
each end. Thus, the installer is spared the time-consuming
task of having to apply theconnector member separately and the
inconvenience of having to keep control of separate end
connector clips or other separate connector pieces which are
liable to become misplaced or lost.
The invention will now be more fully described, by way of
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Figure 1 is an exploded partial perspective vlew of a
main grid member and a cross bar provided with connection means
in accordance with the invention;
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Figure 2 shows a side view, partally in section, of the
connection means applied to the cross bar, in the course of
introducing the c~nnector portion through a slot in the main
grid member; and
Figure 3 shows a view corresponding to Figure 2, with the
connection portion fully secured to the main grid member.
Referring to the drawings, an inverted T-section cross bar 10
has an elongated planar web 11 and a laterally-extending flange
12. A main grid member 13, in this example of the same
inverted T-section as the member 10, and having an elongated
planar web 14 and a laterally-e~tending flange 16, is provided
with a vertical slot 17 through it at a point where it is
desired to secure the end of the member 10 to the member 13.
~djacent one end, the cross bar 10 is formed with a rectangular
through-aperture 18. To connect the bar 10 to the member 13, a
connector member 19 is provided comprising a rigid plate 21
from which are struck laterally outwardly two parallel lugs 22
and 23, each provided with an inwardly-directed re-entrant arm
portion 24. The lugs 22 and 23 are dimensioned so that the
vertically-extending outer sides of the lugs 22 and 23 wedge
snugly, without appreciable clearance, between the opposing
vertical sides of the aperture 18. Further, each lug 22 and 23
tapers in width laterally outwardly from its root or point of
connection to the plate 21 toward its end. Thus, when the lugs
22 and 23 are pressed firmly into the aperture 18, the upper
and lower horizontal edges of the lugs 22 and 23 wedge within
the aperture 18 without appreciable clearance between the
horizontal edges of the lugs and the horizontal opposing edges
of the aperture 18. When the lugs are introduced into the
aperture 18, the arms 24 define a vertically-opening recess
with the side of the web 11 opposite the plate 21. A thin
resilient metal plate keeper member 26 is insertable vertically
downwardly into this recess from the position shown in Figure 1
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to the locked position shown in Fiqures 2 and 3. The upper end
of the keeper 26 is formed with a laterally-extending lip 27
which, in the locked position, engages an upper edge 28 of the
web 11, and provides a portion which may be grasped with the
fingers or engaged with a tool to lever the keeper member 2Ç
upwardly, when it is desired to release the connector member 19
from its locked position relative to the web 11. The edge 28
is desirably recessed below the upper edge of the web 11 so
that in the locked position the upper edge of the keeper member
10 26 does not protrude above the upper edge of the cross bar 10.
Further, where, as in the example shown, the cross bar 10 is an
extrusion having an upper thickened edge portion 29, it is
desirable to remove this upper thickened portion 29 in the
region of engagement of the keeper member 26, in order to
facilitate engagement and withdrawl of the member 26 with and
from the web 11. In the preferred form, as shown, the keeper
member has an intermediate section 31 which is permanently set
at a slight lateral inclination toward ~he lip 27 and a lower
section 32 inclining slightly laterally outwardly away from the
20 lip 27, relative to the plane of the uppermost portion of the
keeper member. In the locked position, as shown in Figures 2
and 3, the lower edge 33 of the intermediate section 31 lies
slightly below and the upper edge 34 slightly above the lower
and upper edges of the re-entrant arms 24, respectively. As
the keeper is pressed downwardly into the recess defined
between the arms 24 and the web 11, the intermediate section 31
is deflected resiliently inwardly by the arms 24 and the lower
sectis~n 32 is urged outwardly by its contact with the web 11,
while the upper or main portion tends to be compressed
30 resiliently against the web 11 above the aperture 18. The
plate 26 in the preferred form is located positively relative
to the web 11 by forming the web with a small hole or recess
36, in this case circular, and by forming the upper portion of
the plate 26 with a correspondingly laterally projecting dimple
or projection 37 which snaps into the recess 36 in the locked
position.
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It will be appreciated that, owing to the wedging action
between the lugs 22 and the aperture 18 and the resilient
stress applied between the keeper members 26 and the re-entrant
arms 24, urging the lugs 22 and 23 laterally inwardly into the
aperture 18, the plate 21 is securely retained against movement
longitudinally and transversely relative to the web 11.
On one end, the plate 21 carries a forwardly projecting
connector portion 38 comprising an integral tab struck from the
material of the plate 21. The tab has a longitudinally or
horizontally extending upper edge 9 and a notch in its lower
surface providing a horizontally extending lower edge 40
defining with the edge 39 a neck of width about the same as
that of the slot 17 formed in the web 14. Forwardly of this
neck portion, the tab includes a head portion 41. Forwardly of
the lower edge 40, the lower edge of the head portion provides
a transversely extending edge 42 extending downwardly to a
downwardly and forwardly inclining edge 43 terminating at a
longitudinally extending lower edge 44. The width of the head
portion 41, defined between the lower edge 44 and an upper edge
46, defining a stepped upper surface of the head portion 41, is
approximately the same width as that of the neck defined
between the edges 39 and 40 i.e. approximately the same as the
width of the slot 17. A transversely or vertically extending
edge 47 extends bet~een the upper edges 39 and 46, slightly
rearwardly of the inclining lower edge 43. The leading edge 48
of the head portion 41 inclines downwardly and forwardly.
In use, the arrangement may be employed to advantaye in the
installation of a suspended ceiling grid having a plurality of
the relatively long or continuous main runner members 13
suspended from the ceiling by conventional suspension means and
arranged parallel to one another at usually r~gular transverse
spacings, and with slots 17 formed therethrough at regular
intervals, appropriate for the desired grid lay-out. A
plurality of cross bar members 10 will be employed, which in
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the preferred form will each be ~ormed to standard lengths
matching the desired transverse spacing between the flanges 16
of the main runner members 13, and which will each have at each
end an aperture 18 and a connector member 19 secured thereto.
In installing a cross bar between a pair of adjacent main
runner members 13, the cross bar 10 is brought down from above,
while maintaining the cross bar in a horizontal attitude, with
the web 11 held vertical, until the leading edge or t.ip of the
connector portion 38 at each end engages the web 14 of the
adjacent main runner member 13 above the slot 17. The pair of
main runner members 13 are thereby deflected laterally
outwardly, thus exerting a compressive stress on the connector
portions 38. At the point where the tips of the connector
portions 38 enter the slot 17, the upper edge of the slot 17
reacts with the inclining edge 48 to urge the cross bar 10
downwardly until the position as shown in Figure 2 is
momentarily reached, at which the head portions 41 enter the
slot 17. Further relief of the compressive tension in the main
runners 13 results in the inner side of the planar web 14
moving inwardly relative to the head portion until it reaches
the vertical edge 47. At this point, a lower margin of the
inclining lower edge 43 has slid over the lower edge of the
notch 17, this margin being spaced forwardly from the vertical
surface 47 by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of
the web 14. Hand pressure exerted downwardly on the cross bar
10 now causes the inclining edge 43 to ride over the lower edge
of the notch 17, tending to resiliently bias the metal of the
head portion 41 forwardly and slightly upwardly against the
reaction of the surface of the vertical edge 47 with the planar
web 14 in the region above the notch 17. The notch defined
between the edges 40 and 42 now snaps over the lower edge of
the notch 17, and at the same time the upper edge 38 of the
neck portion snaps into the slot 17, as shown in Figure 3,
relieving the tensile stress in the head portion 41. Once the
connector portion 38 at each end is fitted to a main member 13
with the neck portion defined beteen the edges 39 and 40
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received in the slot 17, the cross bar 10 is securely retained
in engagement with the main member. The engagement of the
upper edge 39 of the neck portion and of the transverse edge 42
on the lower edge of the slot 17 resists any tendency for the
connector member to become disengaged from the slot through any
disturbance of the cross bar 10 or main member 13 tending to
result in an upward tilting motion of the cross bar 10 relative
to the main member 13.
In the preferred form, the forward edge of the connector member
21 is provided with an upper tab portion 49 providing an upper
transverse edge 51 which engages the side of the web 14 in the
engaged position shown in Figure 3, and supports the main
member 13 against such tilting motion relative to the cross bar
10. Further, in the preferred form as shown, the end of the
cross bar 10 is provided with surfaces for engaging the main
member 13 so as to resist relative downward tilting moton of
the cross bar 10. These surfaces may comprise surfaces on the
plate of the connector member 21, e.g. a transverse edge 52
defining with the lower transverse edge 42 a notch of a width
to snugly receive the thickness of the web 14, or may be
provided on the cross bar itself, e.g. as noted above and as
shown the cross bar 10 is formed to a length to provide an end
surface 53 of its lower flange 12 on the cross bar 10 which
abuts the side surface of the lower flange 16 on each main
member 13 in the engaged position.
Preferably, the connector plate 21 is provided with a lower
longitudinally extending surface 54 arranged so that in the
installed position shown in Figure 3, it rests on the flange 16
of the main runner member 13, the arrangement being such that
the weight of the cross bar 10 is transmitted to the main
member 13 through the engagement of this surface 54 on the
flange 16, rather than through the engagement of the connector
portion 38 on the lower edge of the slot 17.
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The connector portion 38 is, as shown, preferably offset
laterally from the plane of the plate 21, so that when a second
cross bar fitted with a similarly offset connector portion 38
is introduced into the same slot 17 from the opposite side, the
two cross bar members may be engaged in the slot in at least
approximate alignment with one another.
With the arrangement as shown in the drawings, a cross bar
locked in position between a pair of main grid members through
a locking connection as illustrated in Figure 3, may readily be
disconnected by withdrawing the keeper member 26 to permit the
connector plate 21 to be detached from one or both ends of the
cross bar, without needing to disturb or deflect the adjacent
main grid member e.g. the main member 13 with which the
connector portion 38 is engaged. After removal of the cross
bar, the connector portion 38 can be levered ou~ of the slot 17
applying normal hand pressure to tilt the plate 21 downwardly
relative to the main member 13. It will be appreciated that
this greatly facilitates removal of cross bars where, for any
reason, it is desired to remove a cross bar from a selected
location in the grid arrangement.
As noted above, the locking arrangement employing the aperture
18, lugs 22 and 23 with re-entrant arms 24 and the keeper
member 26 can advantageously be employed for splicing together
the juxtaposed e~ds of T-section bars or like members which
provide an elongated planar web portion. In such case, each
member to be joined is formed with a through-aperture similar
to the aperture 18 adjacent each end. A splice plate is
employed comprising a planar, rectangular plate having two sets
of the lugs 22 and 23 struck therefrom at a longitudinal
spacing corresponding to the desired spacing between the
through apertures formed in the longitudinal members when their
ends are juxtaposed. As will be readily appreciated, by
employing this splice plat~, the juxtaposed ends of the
longitudinal members to be spliced can be locked together by
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inserting resilient keeper members, such as the keeper member
26 through each set of the lug members when inserted through
the lug members in each set. This splicing plate may be
particularly useful for joining together the ends of relatively
long sections of main grid members such as the members 13 to
form relatively long, structurally continuous main grid lengths
in a ceiling grid, between which cross bars similar to the
cross bars 10 are to be supported.
In the preferred form, the cross bars 10 are provided in
standardized lengths and, as manufactured, are pre-punched with
the through-apertures 1B adjacent each end and are furnished to
the ceiling structure installers as units with the connector
members 19 pre-applied and pre-locked in place on each end,
thus avoiding the need for the ceiling installer to install the
connector members separately and avoiding the use of separate
clip elements which may become misplaced or lost.
In use, following the installation of the main members,
installation of the cross T-bar units is commenced. Usually,
it will be more convenient to install the cross bar units in
each row in the grid progressively, commencing from one end of
the row. With the usual forms of suspension grid members and
grid arrangements, the arrangement can readily accommodate the
small lateral deflection of the adjacent pairs of main grid
members that is required in order to snap the cross bar unit
into the installed position between them. In the installation
of the last cross bar in the row, where the peripheral main
grid member is not laterally deflectable e.g. is secured to a
wall, the installation can be achieved by detaching the
connector plate 21 from one end of the cross bar, hooking the
portion 38 of the detached plate 21 into the slot 17 of the
main grid member, snapping the opposite end of the cross bar
having the connector member 19 secured thereto into the slot or
other opening in the adjacent main grid member, bringing the
lugs 22 and 23 of the detached plate 21 through the aperture 18
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in the free end of the cross bar, and securing the plate member
in place with the keeper member 26 passed through the lugs 22
and 23 into the locked positîon.
It may be mentioned that a further advantage of the arrangement
shown in the drawings is that the parts of the connector member
i.e. the plate 21 including the connector portion 38 and the
keeper member 26 may be removed from an installation without
needing to permanently distort them. The connector members
therefore are re-useable.
While in the accompanying drawings the connection between
T-section members has been illustrated, it will be appreciated
that the use of the above-described connector members is not
thus limited. As will be appreciated, the connector member 19
as illustrated is attachable to other members having a web
through which an aperture similar to the aperture 18 may be
formed, and the connector portion 38 may likewise be employed
to connect to other webs of suitable thickness defining a slot
opening similar to the slot openng 17 e.g. to a wall of a
; channel-shaped member or other member providing a side wall.
It will also be appreciated that, less advantageously, the
connector member 19 may be formed with connector portions of
known configuration different from the connector portion 38
illustrated, for connection to various forms of grid members.
The cross bars and main grid members will frequently be, but
are not necessarily, extrusions of metal or plastics. Usually,
the connector member 19 and the keeper member 26 will be formed
of metal having sufficient strength and, in the case of the
keeper member 26, sufficient resiliency e.g. of steel. It will
be appreciated, however, that other materials having comparable
physical properties, e.g. high strength plastics, may be
employed.
