Abstract
Disclosed is a ceiling panel support assembly, including at least one support structure configured to provide at least one panel receiving region adjacent thereto, and at least one support hub structure to be centrally positioned in the at least one panel receiving region. The at least one support structure and the at least one support hub structure may be configured to support a plurality of panels therebetween, with at least a subset of the plurality of panels oriented in side-by-side relation along a circumferential region of the at least one support hub structure and extending outwardly therefrom.
Claims
1-34. (canceled)
35. A ceiling panel support assembly, comprising at least one support structure configured to provide at least one panel receiving region adjacent thereto, and at least one support hub structure to be centrally positioned in the at least one panel receiving region, wherein the at least one support structure and the at least one support hub structure are configured to support a plurality of panels therebetween, with at least a subset of the plurality of panels oriented relative to a circumferential region of the at least one support hub structure and extending outwardly therefrom.
36. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 35, wherein the circumferential region defines at least one locating receiver which is configured to receive at least one positioning structure on a corresponding end region of the at least one panel.
37. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 36, wherein the locating receiver includes a channel extending along the circumferential region, at least in part.
38. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 36, further comprising a barrier structure configured to releasably block removal of the positioning structure from the at least one locating receiver.
39. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 38, wherein the barrier structure is configured to be rotatably positionable adjacent the support hub structure, with an access region therein for receiving the positioning structure therethrough to engage the locating receiver.
40. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein the support hub structure and the barrier structure are each configured to be positioned by a common ceiling mounted structure.
41. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 39, wherein each positioning structure includes an arm structure with an offset remote end region formed thereon.
42. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 37, wherein the channel includes an annular recess.
43. The ceiling panel support assembly, comprising the ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 35, and a plurality of the ceiling panels.
44. The ceiling panel support assembly, comprising the ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 35, and a plurality of the ceiling panels, wherein the positioning structure on each ceiling panel includes an arm structure with an offset remote end region to be received in the at least one locating receiver, so that the corresponding ceiling panel extends adjacent the support hub structure to at least partially conceal the support hub structure from view below the ceiling panel assembly.
45. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 44, wherein the plurality of ceiling panels are configured to at least partially conceal the support hub structure from view below the ceiling panel assembly.
46. The ceiling panel support assembly as defined in claim 44, wherein at least a subset of ceiling panels in the plurality thereof are triangularly shaped at least in part, with each ceiling panel having a pair of edge regions extending radially from a central location defined by the support hub structure.
47. (canceled)
48. (canceled)
49. The support hub structure as defined in claim 35.
50. A support assembly for supporting a plurality of ceiling panels or wall panels, comprising at least one support structure configured to provide at least one panel receiving region adjacent thereto, and at least one support hub structure to be centrally positioned in the at least one panel receiving region, wherein the at least one support structure and the at least one support hub structure are configured to support a plurality of ceiling panels and/or wall panels therebetween, with at least a subset of the plurality of ceiling panels and/or wall panels oriented relative to a circumferential region of the at least one support hub structure and extending outwardly therefrom.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0043] Several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided, by way of examples only, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
[0044] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a ceiling panel assembly;
[0045] FIGS. 3 to 7 are views of a ceiling panel as part of the assembly of FIG. 1;
[0046] FIGS. 8 to 10 are perspective views of a support hub structure and barrier structure, as part of the assembly of FIG. 1;
[0047] FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line A-A of FIG. 2;
[0048] FIGS. 12 and 13 are magnified sectional views of respective areas in FIG. 11;
[0049] FIGS. 14 to 16 are magnified fragmentary perspective views of positioning and support structures of the ceiling panel assembly of FIG. 2;
[0050] FIGS. 17 and 18 are side views of the ceiling panel assembly of FIG. 1;
[0051] FIGS. 19 and 20 are top and bottom plan views of the ceiling panel assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, and 17; and
[0052] FIGS. 21 and 22 are schematic top and bottom plan views of another ceiling panel assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0053] It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical, mechanical or other connections or couplings. The terms upper, lower, and vertical are intended for operative context only and are not necessarily intended to limit the invention only to those configurations or orientations. In any instance in which the disclosure refers to a single instance of an element, example embodiments may include a multiple of such elements. The term “at least one” in reference to any element is not intended to force an interpretation on any other reference elsewhere in the disclosure to a single instance of an element to mean only one such instance of the element. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical and/or other configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention. However, other alternative mechanical and/or other configurations are possible which are considered to be within the teachings of the instant disclosure. Furthermore, any one element, feature, structure, function, of any aspect and/or example embodiment described in the present disclosure including the figures, clauses and/or claims herein, may itself be claimed on its own or be combined with any one or more elements, features, structures, functions, and/or steps from the same or any other aspects and/or example embodiments described in the present disclosure including the figures, clauses and/and claims herein.
[0054] The term “LED” used herein may include, but not be limited to, semiconductor, electroluminescent, organic, polymeric or other material based light sources commonly known as generally as light emitting diodes, as well as polymeric and other such light sources, equivalents and variants thereof.
[0055] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a ceiling panel assembly 10, comprising at least one, in this case a number of frame structures 12 configured to be assembled into at least partially closed outer ring structure 14 to define an inner ceiling panel receiving region 16 therein. The frame structures 12 are joined together at couplers 18, for example as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/795,153, filed Feb. 19, 2020, entitled COUPLERS FOR LIGHT FIXTURES.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, also provided are a plurality of ceiling panels 20 which are configured to be positioned in the inner panel receiving region 16 in side-by-side relation with each extending from a central location L therein. Each ceiling panel 20 has a first peripheral region 22 configured to be supported by the frame structure 12, or in this case by the outer ring structure 14. A support hub structure 26 is configured to be centrally positioned in the inner panel receiving region 16 to define the central location L (FIG. 1). Each ceiling panel 20 has a second peripheral region 28 which is configured to be supported at the support hub structure 26 to present the ceiling panels 20 in an operative position to an interior space beneath the ceiling panel assembly 10, as shown in FIG. 1, with the ceiling panels 12 extending outwardly (in this case radially outwardly) from the central location L.
[0057] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer ring structure 14 is shown to have a number of outer side regions 30, in which each may be linear as in this instance or non-linear in other instances, as desired. Each side region 30 may be formed by a corresponding frame section 12. In the configuration shown, the linear side regions 30 may be provided in equal in number with the plurality of ceiling panels 20. In other examples, the number of ceiling panels may be either more than or less than the number of side regions.
[0058] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, each ceiling panel 20 has an outer edge region 32 configured to be generally aligned with a designated outer linear side region 30. At least one first positioning structure 36 is configured to extend from the first peripheral region 22 for engaging a corresponding frame structure 12. Also provided is a second positioning structure 38 which is configured to extend from the second peripheral region 28 for engaging the support hub structure 26.
[0059] Each frame structure 12 further comprises at least one support structure 40 for supporting the at least one first positioning structure 36. A ceiling panel support structure 41 may be defined by at least one support structure 40 configured to provide at least one panel receiving region 16 adjacent thereto. The at least one support hub structure 26 may be configured to be centrally positioned in the at least one panel receiving region 16, wherein the at least one support structure 40 and the at least one support hub structure 26 may be configured to support a plurality of panels 20 therebetween, with at least a subset of the plurality of panels 20 oriented relative to a circumferential region “L” of the at least one support hub structure 26 and extending outwardly therefrom.
[0060] Referring to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the support hub structure 26 has a circumferential region 42 defining a locating region 44 configured to receive each of the second positioning structures 38. A barrier structure 46 may be provided to releasably block removal of each of the second positioning structures 38 from engagement with the support hub structure 26.
[0061] The barrier structure 46 may be configured to be rotatably positionable adjacent the inner support hub structure 26, with an access region 48 therein for each second positioning structure 38 to pass therethrough to be received in the locating region 44, as shown aligned with the second positioning structure 38 in FIG. 10. The locating region 44 may, in this case, may be defined by an annular recess 50, or by other forms such as passages, channels or the like. Alternatively or in addition, the second positioning structure 38 and locating region 44 may also utilize other forms such as magnetic couplings, hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro, and the like. In some cases, the locating region may receive some, but not necessarily all, of the second positioning structures 38. For example, a pair of concentric annular recesses may be provided to receive a different group of one or more second positioning structures 38. In some cases, the annular recesses may be disposed at different elevations so as to support different groups of ceiling panels at different elevations.
[0062] Thus, the barrier structure 46 may be configured to enable each of the second positioning structures 38 to pass through the access region 48, for example by rotating the barrier structure 46 successively to a position so that the access region is open to the designated location for each of the second positioning structures 38, as each panel is installed.
[0063] Referring to FIGS. 7, 9 and 10, the support hub structure 26 and barrier structure 46 may be configured to be positioned by a common ceiling mounted structure, such as a cable 52. Each second positioning structure 38 may include an arm structure 54 with the remote end region 56 formed thereon. The end region 56 may, in this case, be hook-shaped. The arm structure 54 is shown in FIG. 10 aligned with access region 48. The arm structure 54 may thus enable the orientation of the ceiling panel to be set independently of the location or orientation of the support hub structure 26. For instance, one or more of the ceiling panels may be offset relative to the hub structure so that the second peripheral regions 28 may collectively, in side-by-side relation, conceal the hub support structure 36 from view below the ceiling panel assembly 10.
[0064] The barrier structure 46 may take the form of a plate 58 and configured to be rotatably supported by the ceiling mounted cable 52. The access region 48 region may thus be positioned to a designated location for a designated positioning structure 28. The access region 48 may take the form of a notch through an edge region of the plate 58 to receive each arm structure 54 and end region 56 therethrough.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 4, the second positioning structure 38 may include a base plate structure 60 which may be configured to be securable to a surface 62 of the ceiling panel 20, and be further configured to extend outwardly from the base plate structure 60. The base structure 60 may be secured to the panel by way of fasteners 64 which, in this case, may be screws configured to secure the base structure 60 without penetrating the lower presentation surface 66, as shown in FIG. 12.
[0066] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 11, the arm structure 54 may be configured with a first portion 70 to extend outwardly from the surface 62 of the ceiling panel 20, a second portion 72 to extend along the panel 20 and in spaced relation thereto, and a third portion 74 to extend in a direction toward the plane of the surface 62, and to be received in annular recess 50. Thus, the first and second positioning structures 36, 38 together or separately may be configured so as to adjust the elevation of the ceiling panel 20. Meanwhile, the support hub structure 26 may be configured to enable the second positioning structures 38 to positionally adjust or move along the annular recess, for instance to accommodate neighboring ceiling panels 20 or other conditions in which such positional adjustment or movement may accommodate the frame structure, the support hub structure or the like.
[0067] Referring to FIG. 4, each of the first positioning structures 36 may include an upright wall structure 76 to extend along the outer edge region 32, with at least one, or in this case a number of passages 78 to receive a corresponding number of retainer structures 80, each extending from a body 82 which is secured to the frame structure 12 by way of fastener 84 in passage 86. Referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, the retainer structures 80 may be provided with a recessed locating zone 88 to provide a designated positioning of the upright wall structure 76 relative to the retainer structure 80. Other configurations may include or provide retainer structures on the ceiling panel 20 and passages on the frame structure 12, while the passages and retainer structures, or other complementary engagement structures may be provided to support the panel 20 to the frame structure 12.
[0068] Referring to FIG. 1, one or more frame structures 12 may be provided with at least one LED array 90. In this case, in FIG. 13, the frame structure 12 may provide an inner housing 92 to receive the LED array 90 and its associated driver and/or wiring hardware, not shown. Further, adjacent frame structures 12 in the ring structure 14 may be configured so that the inner housings are in communication through one or more of the couplers 18 so that wiring, or in some cases an LED array, may pass through the coupler 18.
[0069] As can be seen in FIGS. 8 to 10, the support hub structure 26 may be configured to provide annular recess 50 circumferentially around the support hub structure 26 so that the corresponding second positioning structures 38 may be mounted by aligning the corresponding remote end region 56 of each with the annular recess 50, while allowing the remote end region 56 to slide along the annular recess 50 to accommodate neighboring end regions 56 during assembly.
[0070] Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, another ceiling panel assembly is schematically shown at 100 which may provide at least one, in this instance two groups of a pair of frame structures 102 which form opposed support structures 104 providing at least one, in this case a pair of opposed open regions 106, and defining an inner panel receiving region 108. A support hub structure 110 may be centrally located in the inner panel receiving region 108 with a number, in this case four, ceiling panels 112 shown therein, and positioned between the corresponding support structures 104 and the support hub structure 110. One or more access regions 114 may be provided on the hub structure 110 in order to receive second positioning structures shown schematically at 118 therein, with first positioning structures shown at 120 to engage the corresponding support structures 122. In this configuration, the panels 112 are configured to conceal the support hub structure 110, while in other examples, the ceiling panels 112 may be configured so as not to conceal the support hub structure 110.
[0071] In the example of FIGS. 1 to 4, the support hub structure 26 and the inner annular recess 50 are circular in plan, though they may be provided in other configurations depending on the ceiling panel configuration. For example, the circumferential region 42 may provide other non-circular configurations, such as shown as a circumferential region 111 in FIG. 21, depending on the desired configuration of the ceiling panel assembly 10.
[0072] The configuration of the ceiling panel assembly 10, similarly, ceiling panel assembly 100 in FIGS. 21 and 22 may be applied to other surfaces, such as walls, as the need arises. The ceiling panels 20, 112 may be formed of a range of materials, including acoustic materials, according to specifications for a designated installation. The panels 20 may also provide reflective or transmissive surfaces, and include light guides, lenses and the like, at least in part.
[0073] In the configuration of FIG. 1, the ceiling panel assembly 10 is presented with a hexagonal shape, with the frame structures 12 forming a six sided structure, along with six pie-shaped ceiling panels 20, being supported by a centrally located support hub structure. However the present disclosure encompasses other configurations in which the support hub structure may be utilized to support a plurality of ceiling panels within a ring structure with different shapes. For instance, the support hub structure and/or the ring structure may be three sided, four sided, and/or have at least a portion thereof which is nonlinear, such as circular or oval. Further, the support hub structure may in some cases be provided in an elongate structure, thereby to provide one or more elongate access regions to receive arm structures of panels therealong.
[0074] While the present disclosure describes various exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not so limited. To the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements, as will be readily appreciated by the person of ordinary skill in the art.
