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US 4,729,074 AGranted
Ceiling frame for a lighting fixture
OwnerEarl J. Steadmaninventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerEarl J. Steadmaninventor
Estimating the term…
A ceiling frame is provided for a lighting fixture. The ceiling is of the type made of plaster panels commonly known as dry wall, wallboard, plaster board, or gypsum board. A rectangular opening is made in the plaster panels between rafters and the lighting fixture is suitably mounted on the ceiling above the panels. The ceiling frame includes side frame members having vertical flanges positioned adjacent the edges of the ceiling panels at the rectangular opening and horizontal flanges extending outwardly from the opening along the lower surfaces of the panels. The horizontal flanges are affixed to the panels by pop rivets or the like which also extend through upper horizontal flanges or brackets adjacent the upper surfaces of the panels. The ceiling frame also includes two end frame members of similar design but affixed to the ceiling panels adjacent the end edges of the opening by rivets and brackets. When the frame members are in place, joint compound is spread over them and feathered outwardly to the ceiling surface to provide a smooth, rimless frame for the light fixture.
A ceiling frame for a lighting fixture, a ceiling panel being of plasterboard or the like of predetermined thickness with a rectangular opening formed therein and the lighting fixture being suitably mounted above said opening, said ceiling frame comprising two side frame members to be located along the side edges of said opening and two end frame members to be located along end edges of said openig, each of said end frame members having a first vertical flange extending substantially the length of the associated end edge of the opening and having a width about the same as the thickness of the ceiling panels, each of said end frame members further having a first wide horizontal flange at the lower edge of said vertical flange and adapted to extend out over a lower surface of the ceiling panel adjacent the associated end edge of said opening, said horizontal flange having a multiplicity of holes therein for receiving joint compound or the like for holding said horizontal flange against the lower surface of the ceiling panel, each of said side frame members having a second vertical flange extending substantially the length of the corresponding side edge of the opening and having a width about the same as the thickness of the ceiling panel, each of said side frame members further having a second wide horizontal flange structurally integral with a lower edge of said second vertical flange and adapted to extend out over the lower surface of the ceiling panel adjacent the associated side edge of said opening, said second horizontal flange having a multiplicity of holes therein for receiving joint compound or the like for holding said second horizontal flange against the lower surface of the ceiling panel, said end frame members and said side frame members having fastener openings formed therein, and fasteners extending through said fastener openings and through the ceiling panel for holding said horizontal flanges against the lower surface of the ceiling panel.
A ceiling frame for a lighting fixture located above an opening in ceiling panels, the ceiling panels being made of plasterboard or the like or predetermined thickness with the opening being rectangular and the lighting fixture suitably mounted in the ceiling above said opening, said ceiling frame comprising two side frame members to be located along side edges of said opening and two end frame members to be located along end edges of said opening, each of said frame members having a vertical flange extending substantially the length of the associated opening edge and having a width about the same as the thickness of the ceiling panels, each of said frame members further having a wide, thin, lower horizontal flange extending outwardly at the lower edge of said vertical flange and adapted to extend out over lower surfaces of the ceiling panels adjacent the opening edges, said horizontal flanges having preformed holes therealong for receiving fasteners, and said horizontal flanges having shoulders along portions thereof adjacent lower horizontal edges of said vertical flanges to provide edges for joint compound or the like spread beyond outer edges of said horizontal flanges.
In combination, a ceiling comprising a plurality of plaster panels suported in co-planar relationship, said panels having a predetermined thickness, said panels having a rectangular opening formed therein of predetermined width and length, a lighting fixture located above said opening in said panels, a ceiling frame for said lighting fixture comprising two side frame members located along two side edges of said opening and two end frame members located along end edges of said opening, each of said frame members having a vertical flange extending substantially the length of the associated opening edge and having a width about the same as the thickness of the ceiling panels, each of said frame members further having a wide lower horizontal flange extending outwardly at the lower edge of said vertical flange and extending over lower surfaces of the ceiling panels adjacent the opening edges, said wide lower horizontal flanges having means to aid in affixing joint compound or the like thereto, and joint compound or the like covering said horizontal flanges and extending over adjacent portions of the lower surfaces of ceiling panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.