Patent Abstract:
A short cross member for a narrow utility channel formed of malleable sheet metal and having a vertical double ply web and a horizontal flange symmetrically disposed on both sides of a lower edge of the web, integral end connectors formed on each end of the cross member from sheet material contiguous with the web, the integral end connectors being arranged to support the flange in coplanar relation with flanges of the channel, the end connectors and the web being weakened at a predetermined vertical line whereby the cross member can be assembled in a narrow channel by bending at the associated line of weakness to shorten the effective overall length of the cross member.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to suspended ceiling construction and, in particular, to grid elements used with narrow utility channel systems. 
     PRIOR ART 
     Narrow channel systems are available for housing or otherwise locating various utility hardware in a conventional rectangular ceiling grid and tile construction. The channels are viewed as more harmonious or attractive than conventional arrangements for locating lights, air diffusers and returns, sprinklers and the like. Conventional arrangements, for example, dedicate a full grid module space to a single utility and, consequently, are more visually prominent than what is needed to ordinarily house a particular utility. The subject narrow channel systems, besides reducing the visibility of necessary utilities, can add to the attractiveness of a ceiling. 
     It is known to construct narrow utility channels by aligning a pair of conventional main runners or tees in close parallel relation. A number of inverted U-shaped yokes, spaced along the length of these main tees can be used to hold these main tees in parallel channel-forming relation at the ceiling plane. The yokes are located above the zone of the channel to provide space for utility hardware. This type of construction presents a need for a manner of trimming the ends of the hardware located in the channel such as panels, lights, grilles or the like. Use of short cross runners or tees with conventional end connectors for this purpose has proven to be difficult if not impractical. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a cross member for narrow suspended ceiling channels useful for trimming the ends of typical components assembled in the channels. The inventive cross members can be used in different modes depending, inter alia, on whether a cross runner slot of a main runner forming a side of the narrow channel is occupied. 
     Cross runner slots of main runners or tees forming a narrow channel can be occupied by a yoke that holds the tees in channel forming relation, by an end connector of an intersecting grid cross runner or tee, or can be unoccupied. The disclosed cross member can be field modified to be connected to a tee supporting yoke at a cross tee slot, or can be mated directly with an end connector of an intersecting grid tee at a cross tee slot, or can be installed and locked in an otherwise unoccupied cross tee slot. 
     The disclosed cross member is conveniently produced from grid tee stock ordinarily used in the manufacture of standard tees. Consequently, no special tooling or manufacturing procedures need be used to produce the tee stock for the inventive cross members. Lengths of the tee stock are cut into short pieces with a stamping die. The stamping die simultaneously cuts a shaped second or trailing end of one cross member as that piece is being completed and a shaped first or leading end of a next succeeding cross member piece to be formed. The shaped ends serve as integral end connectors. 
     The cross member integral end connectors, which are identical, have several features that can facilitate installation and connection with various elements. The integral end connectors can clip onto opposed standard end connectors of intersecting cross tees. Alternatively, the integral end connectors are easily trimmed to avoid interference with a web of a main tee when connected to a yoke. The integral end connectors, additionally, have an aperture located to facilitate a connection with a yoke or, alternatively, enable the end to be temporarily bent to facilitate assembly into a narrow channel. The integral end connectors are double plies of malleable sheet metal; the plies can be separated and folded tightly against the web of a main tee to lock an end connector in an otherwise unoccupied cross tee slot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a channel cross member constructed in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary side view of an end of the cross member; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of the cross member assembled in a channel; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a manner of assembling the cross member in a channel; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary perspective view of an end of a cross member attached to a main tee forming one side of a channel; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary side elevational view of a cross member connected to an intersecting cross tee end connector; 
         FIG. 7  is a fragmentary perspective view of an assembly of the cross member with a yoke used to construct a channel; and 
         FIG. 8  is a fragmentary side elevational view on an enlarged scale of an end of a cross member joined to the yoke of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cross member  10  embodying the invention used in a narrow channel  11  depicted in  FIG. 2 . The channel  11  is employed as a part of a suspended ceiling grid to support utilities. The channel  11  is typically used with identical channels in spaced parallel lines across a ceiling. The channel  11  affords a popular ceiling treatment because it deploys utility hardware in a package that is less obtrusive than hardware that occupies a full grid module, which ordinarily is 2 foot by 2 foot or 2 foot by 4 foot (or industry metric equivalents thereof). 
     The channel  11  is formed by a pair of closely spaced parallel main runners or tees  12  of conventional construction used in a suspended ceiling grid. A center-to-center spacing of 4 inches or 6 inches (with metric equivalents of 100 mm. and 150 mm.) of the channel forming main tees  12  is standard in the industry. Channels  11  are normally arranged to extend transversely from wall-to-wall. Space inside the channel  11  is used to house utility components such as light fixtures, air diffusers, air returns, sprinkler heads and the like. These devices are ordinarily of a length less than the length of a channel and, therefore, require a trim member across the width of a channel  11  to give the utility component a finished appearance at the ceiling plane. The cross member  10  can be used to conceal or trim the longitudinal ends of utility components and any filler panels interposed between such components. It is desirable that the cross members have the same appearance as the elements forming the surrounding ceiling grid and are aligned with such elements. Use of special short length grid tees with conventional separately formed end connectors for channel cross members has been found to be prohibitively expensive and such tees are difficult if not impossible to install without damage after a channel  11  has been erected in a grid system. 
     The cross member  10  of the invention is preferably cut from a length of the grid stock ordinarily used to produce 2 or 4 foot (or metric equivalent) cross tees. The stock is roll formed sheet metal. A main body of the tee stock comprises an upper hollow reinforcing bulb  16 , a double ply web  17 , and lower opposed flange elements  18  all formed from a single metal strip. A flange cap  19  covering the opposed flange elements  18  is formed of a separate sheet metal strip. The strips are held in assembled relation by longitudinal hems  21  of the flange cap  19  folded over longitudinal edges of the flange elements  18 . The flange elements  18  and flange cap  19  form a lower flange  22  of the tee stock. The cross member  10  departs from current industry cross tee construction using separate end connectors. The ends of the inventive cross member  10  are die cut with integral end connectors or tongues  26  formed from areas of the double ply web  17 . 
     Each longitudinal end edge  27  of the flange  22  of a cross member  10  lies in the plane of the flange. The integral end connector  26  has a profile with upper and lower edges  28 ,  29  configured to be received in a standard cross tee slot  31  of a main tee  12  with the flange  22  of the cross member  10  coplanar with a main tee flange  32  and the flange end edge  27  abutting the longitudinal edge of the main tee flange. 
     Referring in particular to  FIG. 2 , the integral end connector  26  is lanced to one side, above the plane of the drawing of  FIG. 2 , to create an internal rearwardly facing edge  36  and a pocket  37  behind the edge in the area vacated by the lanced material. As indicated in  FIG. 1 , the integral end connectors  26  on the ends of the cross member  10  are identical. Rearward of the pocket  37  at a predetermined location relative to the edge  36  an oblong hole or vertical slot  38  is punched through the plies of the integral end connector  26 . The location of the flange end edge  27  relative to the integral end connector  26  depends on the width of the main tee flange  32 . Normally, the width of the cross member flange  22  will be the same as the width of the main tee flange  32 . 
     The main tees or runners  12  forming the channel  11  have their cross tee slots  31  in alignment. In the present embodiment, the cross tee slot  31  is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,517,796 and 5,761,868. As will be discussed, the cross members  10  can be assembled in a pair of opposed slots  31  either or both being empty or occupied by an end connector of an intersecting cross tee  45 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the cross member  10  with its integral end connectors  26  disposed in a pair of cross tee slots  31  of the main tees  12  forming the channel  11 . The proportions illustrated are that of a 4 inch channel. When the cross member  10  is properly assembled in the channel  11 , both end edges  27  of its flange  22  butt against respective longitudinal edges of the main tee flanges  32 . The cross member  10  in this position can produce a finished look to the end of a utility device or panel disposed in the channel  11 . 
     The cross member  10  can be located at a cross tee slot  31  in which an end connector  40  of an intersecting cross tee  45  is received. Visually, this produces an uninterrupted line across the channel  11  when the suspended ceiling grid is viewed from below. 
     The integral end connector  26  is arranged to mate with the type of cross tee end connector  40  disclosed, for example, in the aforementioned U.S. patents. A vertical strap  41  exists between a lead edge  42  of the integral end connector  26  and the lance edge  36 . The strap  41  is arranged to fit between a pair of opposed projections  43 ,  44  of the end connector  40  of an intersecting cross tee  45  ( FIG. 6 ) and the forward projection  43  is received in the pocket  37  of the integral end connector  37 . There results a positive connection between the integral end connector  26  and cross tee end connector  40 . 
     Normally the channel  11  is constructed before the cross members  10  are installed. Consequently, the center-to-center distance between the main runners  12  of the channel  11  is fixed. The inventive cross member  10  facilitates its assembly into an established channel  11 . With reference to  FIG. 4 , one integral end connector  26  of a cross member  10  is bent at a vertical line through the oblong vertical hole  38 . The existence of the hole or slot  38  weakens the juncture between the integral end connector  26  and the cross member  17  so that the hole determines a bend or fold line.  FIG. 4  diagrammatically illustrates the assembly of a cross member  10  into opposing slots  31  of the main tees  12 . With the cross member  10  diagonally oriented to the tees  12 , an unbent integral end connector  26  is inserted in a first one of the slots  31 . The opposite integral end connector  26  is bent at the hole  38  out of plane of the cross member web  17  in a direction towards the slot  31  into which it is to be installed. The bent integral end connector  26  is caused to enter the intended slot  31  and as the cross member  10  is moved into a final perpendicular position, the bent integral end connector is fully received in the respective slot. If an end connector  40  of an intersecting cross tee  45  exists in a slot  31 , the cross tee end connector will help register the integral end connector  26  with the slot. The intersecting cross tee end connector  40  is made of relatively stiff material, and will tend to re-bend the integral end connector  26  into alignment with its web  17 . 
     When a cross member  10  is assembled in a cross tee slot  31  that is otherwise unoccupied, the two plies of the integral end connector  26  can be manually pried apart with a flat blade screwdriver or like tool. The plies, thereafter, can be bent flat against the main tee web with a suitable tool, such as a small hammer or mallet. This situation is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate installation of a cross member  10  at cross tee slots  31  occupied by a yoke  51  used to maintain the tees  12  in their channel-forming relative positions. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/488,474, filed Jun. 5, 2012 discloses the illustrated yoke  51 . As suggested in  FIG. 7 , the yoke has tabs  52  that extend into a pair of opposed cross tee slots  31 . As seen in  FIG. 8 , a distal portion of the integral end connector  26  is manually cut off by the technician installing the ceiling grid so that it does not interfere with a web  54  of the associated main tee  12 . The cross member  10  is positioned so that its flange  22  is coplanar with the main tee flange  32 . At this position, the yoke tab  52  has a hole that registers with the oblong hole  38  of the cross member  10 . A rivet or other fastener  56  is assembled through both the tab hole  53  and oblong hole  38  to lock these elements in their relative position. 
     It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4