US 10,648,177 B2Granted

Support member for ceiling system

AssigneeCertainTeed Ceilings Corporation

InventorsRobin C. Czyzewicz, Bryan Neubeker, Matthew Rapposelli

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The disclosure relates to support members for ceiling systems, such as those that can be formed into an interconnected grid to be suspended from a ceiling and support ceiling tiles. One aspect of the disclosure is a linearly-extending support member for a ceiling tile. The support member has a cross-sectional shape that includes a substantially vertical central web with a top end and a bottom end; at least one flange extending substantially horizontally from the bottom end of the web, the flange having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a bulb extending from the top end of the web, the bulb having a first side and a second side with a cavity therebetween, the bulb having an upper portion and a lower portion adjacent the top end of the web, wherein the entire lower portion of the bulb is narrower than the upper portion of the bulb and wider than the central web, the bulb comprising a series of spaced apertures formed therein through both the first side and the second side of the bulb, each aperture being disposed at least partially in the lower portion of the bulb, each aperture having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion of the aperture is rounded.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A linearly-extending support member for a ceiling system, the support member having a length and a cross-sectional shape comprising:

a central web with a first end and a second end;
at least one flange extending substantially perpendicular to the second end of the web, the flange having an upper surface and a lower surface;
and a bulb extending from the first end of the web, the bulb having a first side and an opposed second side with a cavity therebetween, the bulb having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion of the bulb being disposed adjacent the first end of the web, wherein at least a portion of the lower portion of the bulb is narrower than the upper portion of the bulb and wider than the central web, and wherein the width of the lower portion of the bulb tapers inward from the upper portion of the bulb to the central web, the bulb comprising a series of spaced circular apertures formed therein through both the first side and the second side of the bulb, each aperture being disposed at least partially through the tapered lower portion of the bulb and at least partially through the upper portion of the bulb, wherein the support member is configured to be hung from a structure by a hanger, wherein the hanger is placed through at least one of the circular apertures on the first side of the bulb and at least one of the circular apertures on the second side of the bulb.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/413,318Filed 15 May 2019 · continuation
Priority: 14 Nov 2016
Published: US 2019/0264446 A129 Aug 2019
Granted: 12 May 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

E04B 9/067
Comprising supporting beams having a folded cross-section: with inverted T-shaped cross-section
E04B 9/068
With inverted T-shaped cross-section: with double web
E04B 9/127
Connections between non-parallel members of the supporting construction: one member being discontinuous and abutting against the other member
E04B 9/18
Ceilings; Construction of ceilings, e.g. false ceilings; Ceiling construction with regard to insulation: means for suspending the supporting…

Family

Application62/421,783Us provisional application · filed 14 Nov 2016
Application15/811,034Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Nov 2017
US 2019/0264446 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Aug 2019
US 10,316,514 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0135300 A1Published application
US 10,648,177 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.