Patent ID: 8474200

Claim:
A suspended ceiling system comprising a grid system having a series of visual nodes interior to a peripheral edge of said grid system, connecting grid members of said grid system; said series of visual nodes each including a connection plate with a series of arms extending outwardly from a central port of said connection plate, with each arm being mechanically connected to one of said grid members to align said grid members in at least one predetermined configuration; said central port of said connection plate including a downwardly extending collar about said central port and a visual surface being provided at a lower edge of said collar and extending outwardly therefrom and forming part of the finished surface of the ceiling; each arm of said connection plate adjacent a free end thereof including a pair of generally opposed elongate connection slots with each elongate connection slot sized to receive a releasable support of a suspended ceiling panel to secure the ceiling panel beneath said grid system and in a predetermined configuration with said visual surface of said visual nodes and said suspended ceiling panels collectively defining a finished surface of said ceiling system.