Hook connector with plastic fire relief
AssigneeWorthington Armstrong Venture
InventorsWilliam Platt, Yu Lin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A connector for a cross beam that hooks into a slot in a main beam in the grid of a suspended ceiling. The connector has a plastic encasement that forms abutments about a metallic core. The abutments position the connector within the slot, and prevent further entry of the connector into the slot, under normal conditions. The plastic abutments melt away during a fire, so that the beam can expand longitudinally to relieve stresses in the beam, without the beam buckling. Ridges on the bottom of the metallic core prevent pullback of the connector from the slot, during a fire, to prevent the ceiling from sagging or drooping.
Claims6
In a connector on the end of a cross beam in a grid in a suspended ceiling, capable of permitting the cross beam to expand longitudinally during a fire and relieve stresses in the beam created by the heat of the fire, wherein the connector extends into, and is positioned within, a slot in a main beam in the grid,
- the improvement comprising
- the connector having
- (a) a metal core that forms a hook that supports the connector within the slot and prevents the connector from being withdrawn from the slot, and
- (b) a plastic encasement over the metal core that forms abutments that position the connector within the slot and bar further entry of the connector into the slot,
- wherein,
- during a fire, the plastic encasement is capable of melting away, so that the connector is capable of further entry into the slot to relieve expansion stresses built up in the cross beam from the heat of the fire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.