Adjustable service column

Claim 1

In combination, a service column and an inverted T-rail supporting a suspended ceiling of a building and secured to the service column, the inverted T-rail comprising a pair of split legs, and a web having a bottom surface and a top surface, said web maintaining a fixed laterally spaced relation between said split legs to maintain the split legs together, the service column comprising an H-beam having a pair of spaced vertical plates and a center plate integral with and normal to the vertical plates and partioning the service column into a pair of longitudinal channels, an adapter bracket assembly secured to the upper end of the center plate and provided with an opening, a strain relief bushing disposed within said opening, said adapter bracket assembly abutting against the bottom surface of the web of said T-rail, the opening of said bracket assembly for receiving the bushing communicating with one of the pair of longitudinal channels, a clamp engaging one of the ends of each of the pair of split legs of said T-rail, said web being spaced from said clamp and integral with the ends of each of the pair of split legs of said T-rail, and means forming spaced openings in the web of said inverted T-rail and proportioned to receive the neck of said associated bracket assembly to effect a positive connection of the service column, and clamping means for drawing the end of the column upwardly and concurrently urging said clamp downwardly against said T-rail to maintain the locked relation of said bracket assembly and T-rail through said means forming the spaced openings.