Fusible panel clip

A one-piece panel clip is provided which is adapted to support a plurality of elongate ceiling panels so as to form a ceiling construction. The panel clip comprises a planar support strip which mates with the under surface of a ceiling support rail and includes a series of bendable tabs spaced along each side thereof for securing the panel clip to the support rail. Depending downwardly from the elongate support strip are panel hanging portions which are formed integrally with the support strip and which are used to support the ceiling panels, the panel hanging portions being shaped to engage longitudinal flanges formed on opposite sides of the ceiling panels.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to suspended ceilings, and, more 
particularly, to a panel clip used to support ceiling panels which form 
the exposed ceiling. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Suspended ceilings are widely used in homes, buildings, and other 
structures for aesthetic and other reasons. A typical suspended ceiling 
comprises a plurality of ceiling panels which are spaced below the true or 
structural ceiling of a room and which are supported by a matrix of 
horizontal rails suspended from the true ceiling. 
A number of prior art patents disclose a variety of suspended ceilings or 
walls. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,994,113 (Dail) discloses a ceiling 
construction where individual, specifically shaped clip members are 
adapted to hang from rails and serve to support runners. These runners 
carry acoustic tiles which form the ceiling. Another type of suspended 
ceiling is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,638 (Englund et al), where 
individual clips, received in slots in carriers, are provided with spring 
portions for gripping a portion of a panel. Individual springs clips have 
also been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,361 (Knott). In this patent, 
the spring clip is slidably held in a furring strip and has resilient tabs 
to grip the wall panel. A multiple panel carrying carrier for sound proof 
walls is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,075 (Buchmeier). The carrier 
disclosed in this patent is slidably received between a pair of guide 
rails and is held in a tubular connecting portion of the guide rail by an 
arcuate end portion formed along one edge of the carrier. The other edge 
of the carrier includes a series of C-shaped noses for supporting C-shaped 
panels. 
It will, of course, be understood that the patents discussed above are not 
represented to be exhaustive of the prior art. Moreover, no representation 
is being made that no closer prior art exists. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a novel one-piece panel clip which designed 
to support a plurality of ceiling panels. The panel clip basically 
comprises an elongate planar support strip with a plurality of bendable 
tabs located along each side edge thereof for easily and positively 
securing the panel clip to a support rail and a plurality of panel hanging 
portions which depend from each side edge of the elongate strip and are 
used to support the ceiling panels. 
The panel clip of the invention is extremely simple and easy to manufacture 
with all parts thereof being formed from a single piece of stock material. 
The clip is adapted to support a plurality of panels and inherently 
provides equal spacing of the panels supported thereby. A ceiling assembly 
constructed in accordance with the present invention is easily and quickly 
installed, the individual panel clips being readily and rapidly attachable 
to corresponding support rails by means of bendable tabs referred to 
above. 
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the panel clip 
is fabricated from a readily fusible material. In the event of a serious 
fire, the panel clip readily melts, so that the panels supported thereby 
will fall from the ceiling exposing the fire directly to a fire resistive 
membrane. By fabricating the panel clip from a material whose melting 
point is much lower than the support rails, the support rails for the 
ceiling can remain in place so that the clips provide a "failsafe" effect. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth 
in, or apparent from, the detailed description of the presently preferred 
embodiments of the invention found hereineblow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings in which like numerals represent like elements 
throughout the several views, a presently preferred embodiment of the 
panel clip of the invention is depicted in FIG. 1. The panel clip, which 
is generally denoted 1, comprises a central elongate strip 2 which is 
essentially planar or flat. Depending from both longitudinal sides of 
elongate strip 2 are panel hanging portions 3. These panel hanging 
portions 3 are evenly spaced along the length of the elongate strip 2 on 
both sides thereof. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the hanging 
portions 3 are located in opposed pairs along the sides. However, it would 
be possible to provide panel hanging portions in an alternating pattern 
with one hanging portion, in sequence, depending from one side and then 
the next depending from the other side and so on, rather than arranging 
the opposed portions as pairs. The hanging portions 3 each include 
laterally extending flanges 3a and 3b, which adapted to engage 
reciprocally shaped, longitudinally extending flanges of ceiling panels as 
described hereinbelow in connection with FIG. 2. 
A series of bendable support tabs 4 are also located along each 
longitudinal side of the elongate strip 1. In the preferred embodiment 
under consideration, tabs 4 are provided in an alternating pattern with 
one, in the series, on one side, the next on the other side, and so on. 
Tabs 4 are located in the middle of the corresponding hanging portions 3. 
To provide additional support, opposed tabs 4 could be utilized. To 
facilitate bending of the individual tabs 4 out of the plane of strip 2, 
an aperture or cut out 5 is provided in strip 2, around the tabs 4. 
Referring to FIG. 2, a ceiling assembly is illustrated which is supported 
from the true ceiling or superjacent structure by suitable means, such as 
wires 11. Wires 11 support a plurality of elongate support rails 12 in a 
spaced, parallel arrangement. The support rails comprise I-beams whose 
base flanges 12a lie in a common plane. 
In the use of the panel clips of the invention, the planar central support 
strips 2 of the clips 1 are brought into mating relationship with the 
bottom surface of the base flange 12a of the support rails 12 and the 
clips 1 are quickly and positively secured to the support rails 12 by 
means of the bendable tabs 4 which are bent around the flanges 12a of 
support rails 12. A plurality of ceiling panels 13 are suspended in spaced 
parallel relation beneath the rails 12 by means of the hanging portions 3 
of clips 1. Panels 13 extend transversely to support rails 12 and include 
longitudinally extending flanges 13a, 13b which are engaged by flanges 3a 
and 3b of clips 1. 
It will be understood that the actual shape of the face of the hanging 
portions 3 will depend upon the cross-sectional shapes of the panels 13 
and in particular, on the shapes of flanges 13a, 13b. Similarly, the width 
of the support strips 2 of the panel clips 1 can be adapted to provide for 
suitable mating with the support rails 12. The length of tabs 4 will also 
be determined by the shape and size of the engaging surfaces of the 
flanges of the support rails 12. Further, elongate ribs or other 
deformations can be punched into the mating surfaces of the elongate 
strips 2 of panel clips 1 to provide for greater resistance to bending. 
The ease of manufacture and installation of the panel clips of the 
invention should be readily apparent from the foregoing description. The 
panel clips of the invention are preferably made from a flat elongate 
sheet of sheet metal by first punching away portions of the sheet, 
including portion 5, to form both the hanging portions 3 and the tabs 4. 
The hanging portions 3 are then bent downwardly from the central strip 2, 
which action will also bring the bendable tabs 4 up from the plane of the 
strip 2. As used in constructing a ceiling, the panel clip 1, is cut into 
convenient lengths such as 4", 8", 12", or 16", and is quickly and easily 
attached to support rails 12 by merely placing a panel clip 1 below a rail 
12 and bending tabs 4 onto the rail 12, as described hereinbefore. Because 
the panel clip 1 is resiliently, albeit firmly, held onto rail by tabs 4, 
a sufficient force exerted on the panel clip will only result in the panel 
clip being separated from the rail 12, rather than having the rail pulled 
down as well. Of course, if required, a panel clip 1 can also be easily 
removed from a rail 12 by bending back the tabs 4 toward their original 
positions. 
In the preferred embodiment, the panel clip 1 is made from a material with 
a relatively low melting point in relation to the melting point of the 
support rail 12. Various alloys of aluminium and other materials would be 
suitable for this purpose. Thus, in the event of a fire, the panel clip 
would readily melt. This would allow those panels nearest the fire to fall 
down exposing the fire to a fire resistive membrane which itself is 
designed to contain the fire for a given time period to that specific 
area. In addition, only those panel clips nearest the fire would melt and 
release the panels, while the support rails and the rest of the panels 
would remain in place. It is also possible for a fire to start between the 
hanging ceiling and the true ceiling. Such a fire may, for example, be 
caused by electrical wires located there, and determining the location of 
the fire could be difficult. However, with "fusible" panel clips such as 
provided in accordance with the invention, the panels 13 would quickly 
fall away from the area adjacent the fire making the fire easier to locate 
and put out. 
Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to 
exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary 
skill in the art, that variations and modifications may be effected within 
the scope and spirit of the invention.