Suspended ceiling construction

A suspended ceiling construction for buildings comprising:

• first and second parallel support beams suspended from a structural ceiling within the building;
• a plurality of ceiling tiles suspended between said parallel support beams;
• means for releasably supporting one end of said ceiling tiles on said first support beam;
• said tiles having kerfs along opposite edges thereof extending between said first and second support beams;
• and
• interlocking spline means in said kerfs and extending between adjacent tiles, said spline means including a first member having a slot therethrough and a vertical access to at least a portion of said slot and a second member having a flange receivable within said slot;
• said first and second members being relatively slidable between a support position wherein said flange is vertically secured within said slot and a release position wherein said flange is positioned within said access, said flange being sized to move along said slot and to pass through said access when positioned in said release position to permit one tile to be removed from the ceiling when said first and second members are moved to the release position at each side of one tile.

A means for supporting a suspended tile ceiling on a hanger means including a plurality of support beams arranged parallel to each other with a plurality of ceiling tiles extending therebetween in abutting relationship comprising:

• said ceiling tile including at least first and second ceiling tiles arranged adjacent each other with one edge of said first tile extending along and closely adjacent an edge of the second tile;
• a first spline member engaging said first tile along said one edge and supported by said hanger means for supporting said first tile along said one edge thereof;
• a second spline member engaging said second tile along said edge of said second tile;
• said spline members being relatively slidable with respect to each other along the edges of said first and second ceiling tiles from a first position to a second position and having means in the first slidable position for causing simultaneous support of one of said spline members on the other of said spline members and also the support of said edge of said second tile by said first spline member to provide in said first position the support of said second tile by said first spline member;
• and
• means associated with said tiles and spline members for providing the release of the support of said second tile by said first spline member in response to the relative movement between said first and second spline members to said second slidable position.

A means for supporting a suspended tile ceiling on a hanger means including a plurality of support beams arranged parallel to each other with a plurality of ceiling tiles extending therebetween in abutting relationship comprising:

• said ceiling tiles including at least first and second ceiling tiles arranged adjacent each other with one edge of said first tile extending along and closely adjacent an edge of the second tile;
• a first spline member engaging said first tile along said one edge and supported by said hanger means for supporting said first tile along said one edge thereof;
• a second spline member engaging said second tile along said edge of said second tile;
• said spline members being relatively slidable with respect to each other along the edges of said first and second ceiling tiles from a first position to a second position and having means in the first slidable position for causing simultaneous support of one of said spline members on the other of said spline members and also the support of said edge of said second tile by said first spline member to provide in said first position the support of said second tile by said first spline member;
• means associated with said tiles and spline members for providing the release of the support of said second tile by said first spline member in response to the relative movement between said first and second spline members to said second slidable position, and including an opening means in one of said tiles and splines, said opening means being aligned in said second position with at least a part of the means for causing simultaneous support engagement of said spline members and support of said second tile by said first spline member whereby in said second position the second tile can be lowered and removed for providing access to the space above it;
• said second tile having a kerf along its said edge and a portion of said second spline being receivable within said kerf;
• said opening means being a cutout portion in the second tile along a portion of the length of said edge and above said kerf and the said portion of said second spline member received within said kerf is of a length less than the length of said cutout portion whereby in said first position the portion of said second spline member received within said kerf supports said second tile on said first tile and in said second position the said portion of said second spline member aligned with said cutout portion is released so that said second tile thereby releases the support of said second tile by said first spline member;
• and
• said opening means being a cutout in the first spline member receiving at least a portion of said second spline member which provides for locking and release of said second spline member to said first spline member in response to a sliding action of said second spline member from said first position to said second position.

Ceiling tile for use in conjunction with a suspended ceiling construction including a plurality of ceiling tile arranged side by side between parallel support members which are hidden from sight by said tile substantially abutting adjacent tile along each edge thereof comprising:

• a rectangular shaped tile of substantially greater length and width dimensions than thickness dimension;
• said tile having a top surface, a bottom surface and parallel front and back edges and parallel side edges between said surfaces, said side edges and one of said front or back edges having kerfs extending along the length thereof and spaced from both of said top and bottom surfaces;
• said other of said front or back edges having a flange located at the bottom surface thereby providing grooves located thereabove for receiving a support member;
• and
• an elongated cut-out in at least one of the side edges, said cut-out located above and extending a given distance along the kerf of said one side edge for receiving the entire length and a portion of the width of an elongated spline member.