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US4437287A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Ceiling panel

Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc
•
Filing: 1982-02-25
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Granted: 1984-03-20
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Expires: 2002-02-25
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Abstract

Abstract In a ceiling comprised of rectangular metal ceiling panels each having a perforate face panel and an imperforate back panel spaced from one another, the side and end margins of the face and back panels being defined by the bend of lips integral with the panel, the lips of face and side panels being joined to form side and end walls, the end walls are provided with an inverted, open-mouthed channel, offset inboardly with respect to the back panel and intermediate the height of the end wall between the face and back panel, and the side walls of contiguous ceiling panels are provided with an outwardly opening cove along one panel and an outboardly projecting tongue in the contiguous panel.

Inventors

  • 👤 Thomas C. Halfaker

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-08 02:56
CPC Classifications
E; E04; E04B; E04B9/00; E04B9/04; E04B9/0435; E04B9/045; E04B9/0464

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim 165 words
In a ceiling comprised of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a face panel and a back panel spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, the lips of said back and face panels being joined to form side and end walls connecting said face and back panels, the improvement comprising each end margin of said back panel's extending beyond the end margin of said face panel along the said end wall, the end lip of said back panel extending in a direction toward said face panel and the end lip of said face panel along said end margin being bent upwardly and then outboardly to form a channel bottom, thence toward said face panel at an obtuse angle with respect to said channel bottom to define an outboardly tending channel wall, thence toward said back panel to face-to-face engagement with said back panel end lip.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 165 words
In a ceiling comprised of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a face panel and a back panel spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, the lips of said back and face panels being joined to form side and end walls connecting said face and back panels, the improvement comprising each end margin of said back panel's extending beyond the end margin of said face panel along the said end wall, the end lip of said back panel extending in a direction toward said face panel and the end lip of said face panel along said end margin being bent upwardly and then outboardly to form a channel bottom, thence toward said face panel at an obtuse angle with respect to said channel bottom to define an outboardly tending channel wall, thence toward said back panel to face-to-face engagement with said back panel end lip.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 25 words
The improvement of claim 1 including a membrane the ends of which rest upon and are supported by an upper surface of said channel bottom.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 293 words
In a ceiling composed of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a perforate face panel and an imperforate back panel, both substantially planar, spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, said lips being joined to form side and end walls connecting said front and back panels, the improvement comprising the side wall defining lip of said back panel of one of two contiguous of said ceiling panel's being bent reentrantly at an acute angle to the plane of the back panel, the side wall defining lip of the face panel being bent inboardly intermediate its outer margin to meet said back panel lip and define a cove extending lengthwise of said side wall, and the other of said contiguous panels having a tongue extending along its contiguous side wall and into said cove and wherein the tongue of the contiguous panel comprises a gutter formed along the outer edge of the back panel side lip, said gutter having a bottom wall and an outboard side wall, said face panel having an upturned lip, an intermediate shelf section of said lip extending along, beneath and in engagement with an outer surface of said bottom wall of said gutter at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the face panel, tending toward said plane in an outboard direction, a nose section of said face panel side lip extending beyond said gutter bottom and around said gutter side wall, and an outer margin of said face panel side lip being bent over the outer margin of the back panel lip, and into engagement therewith to join said lips, hence said front and back panel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 293 words
In a ceiling composed of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a perforate face panel and an imperforate back panel, both substantially planar, spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, said lips being joined to form side and end walls connecting said front and back panels, the improvement comprising the side wall defining lip of said back panel of one of two contiguous of said ceiling panel's being bent reentrantly at an acute angle to the plane of the back panel, the side wall defining lip of the face panel being bent inboardly intermediate its outer margin to meet said back panel lip and define a cove extending lengthwise of said side wall, and the other of said contiguous panels having a tongue extending along its contiguous side wall and into said cove and wherein the tongue of the contiguous panel comprises a gutter formed along the outer edge of the back panel side lip, said gutter having a bottom wall and an outboard side wall, said face panel having an upturned lip, an intermediate shelf section of said lip extending along, beneath and in engagement with an outer surface of said bottom wall of said gutter at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the face panel, tending toward said plane in an outboard direction, a nose section of said face panel side lip extending beyond said gutter bottom and around said gutter side wall, and an outer margin of said face panel side lip being bent over the outer margin of the back panel lip, and into engagement therewith to join said lips, hence said front and back panel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 263 words
In a ceiling composed of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a perforate face panel and an imperforate back panel, both substantially planar, spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, said lips being joined to form side and end walls connecting said front and back panels, the improvement comprising the side wall defining lip of said back panel of one of two contiguous of said ceiling panel's being bent reentrantly at an acute angle to the plane of the back panel, the side wall defining lip of the face panel being bent inboardly intermediate its outer margin to meet said back panel lip and define a cove extending lengthwise of said side wall, and the other of said contiguous panels having a tongue extending along its contiguous side wall and into said cove and wherein at each end of said ceiling panels the end margin of the back panel extends beyond the end margin of the face panel, the end lip of said back panel extending in a direction toward said face panel, the lip of said face panel along said end margin being upturned at a position offset inboardly from the end lip of the back panel, bent outboardly intermediate its width to form a channel bottom, thence toward said face panel at an obtuse angle with respect to said channel bottom to define an outboardly tending channel wall, thence toward said back panel to face-to-face engagement with said back panel lip.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 263 words
In a ceiling composed of rectangular metal ceiling panels having a perforate face panel and an imperforate back panel, both substantially planar, spaced from one another, the side and end margins of each said face and back panel being defined by the bend of a lip integral with said panel, said lips being joined to form side and end walls connecting said front and back panels, the improvement comprising the side wall defining lip of said back panel of one of two contiguous of said ceiling panel's being bent reentrantly at an acute angle to the plane of the back panel, the side wall defining lip of the face panel being bent inboardly intermediate its outer margin to meet said back panel lip and define a cove extending lengthwise of said side wall, and the other of said contiguous panels having a tongue extending along its contiguous side wall and into said cove and wherein at each end of said ceiling panels the end margin of the back panel extends beyond the end margin of the face panel, the end lip of said back panel extending in a direction toward said face panel, the lip of said face panel along said end margin being upturned at a position offset inboardly from the end lip of the back panel, bent outboardly intermediate its width to form a channel bottom, thence toward said face panel at an obtuse angle with respect to said channel bottom to define an outboardly tending channel wall, thence toward said back panel to face-to-face engagement with said back panel lip.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 25 words
The improvement of claim 4 including a membrane the ends of which rest upon and are supported by an upper surface of said channel bottom.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

GB641946A Cited
US3267626A Cited
US3304680A Cited
US3479784A Cited
US3514915A Cited
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1987-03-20 1987-09-19 1988-03-20 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1991-03-20 1991-09-19 1992-03-20 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1995-03-20 1995-09-19 1996-03-20 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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