Beam clip
AssigneeWorthington Armstrong Venture
InventorGale E. Sauer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clip for attachment to the end of a main beam for a grid in a suspended ceiling. The beam has an inverted T cross section. The clip engages an identical clip on the end of another main beam to form an end to end connection. The clip has a tongue and channel that engages with a tongue and channel in the other clip of the connection.
Claims11
A connection for joining abutting main beams end to end in a suspended horizontal ceiling grid, each beam having an inverted T cross-section with a vertical web and flange, comprising:
- A) a pair of clips overlapped and each identical to the other, engaged with each other, each clip having
- a) a lateral web face and a lateral outward face,
- b) a portion forming a forward tongue,
- c) a portion forming a channel rearward of the tongue, having flanges at the upper and lower edges of the clip, and open on the lateral outward face,
- d) a spring pocket in the channel open toward the forward tongue and protruding on the lateral outward face,
- e) a cutout in the channel, and
- f) a detent on the tongue protruding on the lateral outward face;
- B) a depressed pan formed into the web at an end of each beam to a depth beyond a vertical center plane of the web, and,
- C) means to secure the channel of each clip to the end of each beam so that,
- a) the tongue extends beyond and forward of the beam end,
- b) the lateral web face on the channel portion of the clip abuts the pan in the web on the beam end, and
- c) the lateral outward face of the clip lies in substantially the vertical center plane of the web;
- wherein, when the clips are overlapped and engaged with each other,
- a) the tongue of each clip is confined in the channel, within the flanges, of the other clip,
- b) the detent on the tongue of each clip engages the cutout in the channel of the other clip, and
- c) the tongue of each clip is secured in the spring pocket of the other clip;
- whereby the engaged clips form a splice about the ends of the beams wherein
- a) the beam ends and webs are aligned and in an abutting relationship;
- b) the beam webs are overlapped by each clip;
- c) the clips are secured together and are abutted and overlapped and
- d) the lateral outward faces of the clips abut and lie in substantially the vertical center plane of the aligned webs.
A fishplate splice for lapping an end to end joint of aligned main beams in a horizontal suspended ceiling grid, each beam having an inverted T cross section with a vertical web, wherein:
- a) the fishplate is in the form of a pair of clips, each of which has a forward tongue and a rearward channel,
- b) the pair of clips overlap with each other for a substantial portion of their length, and interlock with each other, with the tongue of each clip confined in the channel of the other;
- c) the fishplate lies substantially in a vertical center plane of the webs of the beams;
- d) the beams each have a web depression;
- and
- e) each of the clips in the fishplate is attached to one of the beams in the web depression of the beam by fasteners.
A clip attached to the end of a main beam capable of being assembled with another said clip on another main beam to ridgedly join the beams end to end, each beam having an inverted T cross-section with a vertical web and flange, each clip having:
- A)
- a) a lateral web face and a lateral outward face,
- b) a portion forming a forward tongue, having flanges at the upper and lower edges of the clip,
- c) a portion forming a channel rearward of the tongue, having flanges at the upper and lower edges of the clip, and open on the lateral outward face,
- d) a spring pocket in the channel open toward the forward tongue and protruding on the lateral outward face,
- e) a cutout in the channel, and
- f) a detent on the tongue protruding on the lateral outward face;
- B) a depressed pan formed into the web at an end of each beam to a depth beyond a vertical center plane of the web, and,
- C) means to secure the channel of each clip to the end of each beam so that,
- a) the tongue extends beyond and forward of the beam end,
- b) the lateral web face on the channel portion of the clip abuts the pan in the web on the beam end, and
- c) the lateral outward face of the clip lies in substantially the vertical center plane of the web;
- wherein, when assembled together, the clips are overlapped and engaged with each other,
- d) the tongue of each clip is confined in the channel, within the flanges, of the other clip,
- e) the detent on the tongue of each clip engages the cutout in the channel of the other clip, and
- f) the tongue of each clip is secured in the spring pocket of the other clip;
- whereby the assembled clips form a splice about the ends of the beams wherein
- a) the beam ends and webs are aligned and in an abutting relationship;
- b) the beam webs are overlapped by each clip;
- c) the clips are secured together and are abutted and overlapped and
- d) the lateral outward faces of the clips abut and lie in substantially the vertical center plane of the aligned webs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.