Trim system for island ceiling

• US 20070113513A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: USG Interiors Incorporated (GEBR Knauf Verwaltungsgesellschaft KG)
• Original Assignee: USG Interiors Incorporated (GEBR Knauf Verwaltungsgesellschaft KG)
• Inventors: Wendt, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/665
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 9/127 one member being discontinuous and abutting against the other member
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 9/30 characterised by edge details of the ceiling; e.g. securing to an adjacent wall
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 9/34 Grid-like or open-work ceilings, e.g. lattice type box-like modules, acoustic baffles E04B9/30 takes precedence

Abstract

An edge trim system for suspended island ceilings in which a one-piece clip couples standard grid tees to standard wall molding. The clip is arranged to snap onto the grid tees where the ceiling boundary is along a line of the grid and to be screw fastened onto a tee where the ceiling boundary is other than along the grid. The clip is arranged to snap into and retain the molding in place without fasteners.

Claims

1. A suspended ceiling system in which the ceiling boundary has the character of an island ceiling boundary free of support on an adjacent wall, the ceiling comprising a plurality of grid tees intersecting at right angles and having at least one grid tee in parallel alignment with the island boundary, a plurality of clips mounting U-molding on the island boundary of the ceiling, the clips each being resiliently snapped onto the parallel tee by spreading upper and lower clip parts extending from a clip center section relative to one another, the U-molding having opposed flanges slipped over said clip upper and lower parts and inter-engaged with said clips to retain said U-molding over said parallel tee.

2. A suspended ceiling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the parallel tee, clip and U-molding are mutually proportioned such that the U-molding fits on the clip in a manner than increases the snap retention of the clip on the tee by increasing the force required to spread said upper and lower parts.

3. A suspended ceiling system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said clip is proportioned to receive the U-molding with a snap fit.

4. A suspended ceiling system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said U-molding has flanges with hems on inside distal edges and said clip engages edge surfaces of said hems.

5. A method of edge trimming an island portion of a suspended ceiling of the rectangular grid type, comprising providing a low profile clip to embrace the bottom flange and top bulb of a grid tee extending along the island edge of the ceiling, the clip profile being arranged to be sufficiently small to fit in a standard U-molding moderately larger in inside width than the height of the grid tee.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the grid tee is nominally sized at 1½

″ and

the U-molding is nominally sized at 1 9/16″

in width.

7. A method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the U-molding is provided with in-turned hems on inside distal edges of its flanges and the clip is arranged to grip the inner edges of the hems to retain the U-molding.

8. A system for trimming the boundary of a rectangular grid-type suspended ceiling at an island-like boundary where the boundary lies at an angle different than a right angle to the intersecting grid tees comprising a sheet metal clip and U-molding, the sheet metal clip having a configuration that is receivable in the U-molding with a fit that is sufficient to retain the molding on the clip under ordinary service conditions, the clip having a bendable side free of interference with the U-molding when the clip is received in the U-molding, the side being capable of being permanently bent about a vertical line so that a portion of the side can be set to an angle at which it is parallel to a grid tee that intersects the boundary of the ceiling and be abutted against a web of the intersecting grid tee.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the clip side has an aperture for receiving a screw used to attach the clip to the intersecting grid tee.

10. A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the clip side is provided with a tab that is registerable by contact with the top of the intersecting grid tee flange to vertically position to the clip relative to the intersecting grid tee.

11. A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the clip side has a leg and a foot at a distal end of the leg together forming a corner, said side being bendable at said corner.

12. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 11, wherein said corner is constructed to be weaker than surrounding areas of said leg and foot.

13. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 12, wherein said corner is formed with apertures to weaken said corner.

14. A sheet metal clip for attaching U-molding to a grid tee in parallel alignment, the clip having lower and upper extensions projecting from an intermediate center section, the lower extension being adapted to fit below the flange of the grid tee, the upper extension being adapted to snap fully over the upper side of and lock onto the reinforcing bulb of the grid tee when the lower extension is in contact with the flange of the grid tee and the center section is moved towards a side of the grid tee, the lower and upper extensions each having surfaces facing away from the center section, adapted to lock onto the inside edges of inside hems of the flanges of a U-molding slipped over the clip.

15. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 14, wherein the clip has sides adapted to abut the web of the grid tee.

16. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 15, wherein the sides each have a stand-off leg adapted to extend in a plane perpendicular to the grid tee web.

17. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 16, wherein said legs each have a foot adapted to abut the web of the grid tee.

18. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 17, wherein a corner between a stand-off leg and the associated foot is perforated to facilitate manual bending of the corner area to align the center section and projections with the line of a molding when the molding intersects the line of the grid tee at an angle different than 90°

.

19. A sheet metal clip as set forth in claim 15, wherein the sides include a tab registerable on the top of a flange to vertically align the clip to a grid tee.