U.S. patent application number 09/970008 was filed with the patent office on 2002-05-09 for compressible structural panel.
Invention is credited to Colson, Wendell B., Kuperus, Ko, Swiszcz, Paul G..
Application Number | 20020053176 09/970008 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22736644 |
Filed Date | 2002-05-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020053176 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Colson, Wendell B. ; et
al. |
May 9, 2002 |
Compressible structural panel
Abstract
A structural panel for use in building structures or in the
formation, finish or decoration thereof includes an outer sheet and
a connector sheet with a plurality of collapsible or compressible
dividers therebetween. The panel in a rest condition is expanded
and of a desired thickness for final use but can be compressed into
a relatively thin thickness or profile for shipping purposes. The
panel is very lightweight but structurally strong and can be
selectively bent in one transverse direction if desired. The panel
can be easily cut or formed into any predetermined size or
shape.
Inventors: |
Colson, Wendell B.; (Weston,
MA) ; Swiszcz, Paul G.; (Boulder, CO) ;
Kuperus, Ko; (Boulder, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DORSEY & WHITNEY, LLP
SUITE 4700
370 SEVENTEENTH STREET
DENVER
CO
80202-5647
US
|
Family ID: |
22736644 |
Appl. No.: |
09/970008 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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09970008 |
Sep 27, 2001 |
|
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09839373 |
Apr 23, 2001 |
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60199208 |
Apr 24, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/506.06 ;
52/783.1; 52/783.11; 52/790.1; 52/793.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 2/3405 20130101;
E04B 9/0414 20130101; E04B 9/244 20130101; E04B 9/001 20130101;
E04B 9/0457 20130101; E04B 2009/0492 20130101; E04B 9/045 20130101;
E04B 9/26 20130101; E04B 9/0442 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/506.06 ;
52/783.1; 52/793.1; 52/783.11; 52/790.1 |
International
Class: |
E04B 002/00; E04B
005/00; E04B 009/00; E04C 002/54; E04C 002/32; E04C 002/34 |
Claims
1. A compressible structural panel comprising in combination: at
least one outer sheet of material having an inner and outer face,
and at least one compressible divider that in a resting condition
is expanded and secured to and protrudes from said inner face, said
divider being compressible.
2. The panel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of dividers
and further including connector means for securing said dividers
together at locations distal from said outer sheet.
3. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said at least one divider or
dividers are elongated and extend in parallel relationship to each
other.
4. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said at least one divider or
dividers are made of a semi-rigid material.
5. The panel of claim 3 wherein there are a plurality of dividers
that are independent of each other.
6. The panel of claim 4 wherein there are a plurality of said
dividers are independent of each other.
7. The panel of claim 4 wherein there are a plurality of said
dividers that are foldable into said compressed condition.
8. The panel of claim 6 wherein said dividers are foldable into
said compressed condition.
9. The panel of claim 8 wherein said dividers are biased toward the
resting condition.
10. The panel of claim 2 wherein said dividers are made from
independent sheets of a semi-rigid but foldable material, said
independent sheets being folded such as to define flaps that are
securable to said outer sheet and said connector means and a pair
of partitions extending between said flaps, said partitions being
collapsible.
11. The panel of claim 10 wherein said partitions are substantially
elongated and planar and said dividers have a longitudinally
extending fold between said flaps and said partitions which allow
the partitions to be folded into substantially face-to-face
relationship with said flaps when in the compressed condition.
12. The panel of claim 10 wherein said independent sheets are made
of fiberglass including a plurality of glass fibers bonded together
with a resin.
13. The panel of claim 12 wherein said resin is a thermoses
resin.
14. The panel of claim 12 wherein said resin is thermoplastic.
15. The panel of claim 12 wherein said resin is a combination of a
thermoset and a thermoplastic resin.
16. The panel of claim 12 wherein said outer sheet is fiberglass
including a plurality of glass fibers bonded together with
resin.
17. The panel of claim 16 wherein said resin in the outer sheet is
a combination of thermoset and thermoplastic resin.
18. The panel of claim 16 wherein said resin the outer sheet is a
thermoset resin
19. The panel of claim 16 wherein said resin the outer sheet is a
thermoplastic resin.
20. The panel of claim 16 wherein said connector means is a sheet
of material.
21. The panel of claim 20 wherein said connector means is a
fiberglass sheet.
22. The panel of claim 20 wherein said connector means includes a
plurality of glass fibers bonded together with resin.
23. The panel of claim 22 wherein said resin in the connector means
is a thermoset resin.
24. The panel of claim 22 wherein said resin in the connector means
is a thermoplastic resin.
25. The panel of claim 22 wherein said resin in the connector means
is a combination of thermoset and thermoplastic resins.
26. The panel of claim 12 wherein said outer sheet also includes a
plurality of glass fibers bonded together in a resin.
27. The panel of claim 26 wherein said resin is a thermoset
resin.
28. The panel of claim 26 wherein said resin is a thermoplastic
resin.
29. The panel of claim 26 wherein said resin is a combination of
thermoset and thermoplastic resins.
30. The panel of claim 12 wherein said connector means is a sheet
of fiberglass including a plurality of glass fibers bonded together
in a resin.
31. The panel of claim 30 wherein said resin is a thermoset
resin.
32. The panel of claim 30 wherein said resin is a thermoplastic
resin.
33. The panel of claim 30 wherein said resin is a combination of
thermoset and a thermoplastic resin.
34. The panel of claim 16 wherein said connector means includes a
plurality of flexible but non-extensible strands connected to said
dividers.
35. The panel of claim 1, 2 or 10 wherein said panel is a ceiling
panel.
36. The panel of claim 10 wherein said partitions each include a
longitudinal fold so as to define a pair of partition portions.
37. The panel of claim 36 wherein said panel portions are of the
same size.
38. The panel of claim 36 wherein said panel portions are of
different sizes.
39. The panel of claim 1 or 2 further including a decorative sheet
secured to the outer face of said outer sheet.
40. The panel of claim 2 wherein said connector means includes a
plurality of flexible but non-extensible strands connected to said
dividers.
41. The panel of claim 40 wherein said dividers have an upper
surface and a lower surface and wherein said lower surface of said
dividers is secured to said outer sheet and said upper surface to
said non-extensible strands.
42. The panel of claim 2 wherein said dividers have an upper
surface and a lower surface and wherein said lower surface of said
dividers is secured to said outer sheet and said upper surface to
said connector means.
43. The panel of claim 2 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet of material.
44. The panel of claim 43 wherein said inner sheet consists of a
plurality of strips of material.
45. The panel of claim 43 wherein said outer sheet consists of a
plurality of strips of material.
46. The panel of claim 44 wherein said outer sheet consists of a
plurality of strips of material.
47. The panel of claim 44 or 45 wherein said strips on at least one
of said inner and outer sheets are interconnected.
48. The panel of claim 47 wherein said strips on both said inner
and outer sheet are interconnected.
49. The panel of claim 43 wherein said inner sheet is integral with
said dividers.
50. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said outer sheet is integral
with said at least one divider or dividers.
51. The panel of claim 49 wherein said inner and outer sheets are
integral with said dividers.
52. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said at least one divider or
dividers are made from fiber glass matting.
53. The panel of claim 52 wherein said fiber glass matting is
composed of a glass fiber matrix bonded with a fire retardant
melamine resin composition.
54. The panel of claim 53 wherein said matting has at least 27% by
weight nitrogen in the dry, but uncured state of the melamine
resin.
55. The panel of claim 53 wherein the glass fibers in the matrix
have diameters in the range of 3 to 20 microns.
56. The panel of claim 53 wherein said glass fibers are about the
same length.
57. The panel of claim 55 wherein said glass fibers are about the
same length.
58. The panel of claim 56 wherein the length of said fibers is
approximately 0.75.+-.0.08 inch.
59. The panel of claim 57 wherein the length of said fibers is
approximately 0.75.+-.0.08 inch.
60. The panel of claim 53 wherein said glass fibers are shorter
than 3 inches.
61. The panel of claim 55 wherein said glass fibers are shorter
than 3 inches.
62. The panel of claim 53 wherein said melamine resin has at least
35% by weight nitrogen.
63. The panel of claim 53 wherein said melamine resin is 5-50% by
weight of the finished matting, the glass fibers are 10-95% by
weight of the finished matting and further including organic fibers
constituting 0-50% by weight of the finished matting.
64. The panel of claim 63 wherein said organic fibers come from the
group consisting of thermoplastic or thermoset polymers.
65. The panel of claim 63 wherein said organic fibers come from the
group of natural fibers including wood, cotton and cellulose
derivatives such as rayon or acetate fibers.
66. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said outer sheet is made of
fiberglass matting.
67. The panel of claim 43 wherein said outer sheet is made of
fiberglass matting.
68. The panel of claim 67 wherein said fiber glass matting is
composed of a glass fiber matrix bonded with a fire retardant
melamine resin composition.
69. The panel of claim 52 wherein said matting has at least 27% by
weight nitrogen in the dry, but uncured state of the melamine
resin.
70. The panel of claim 68 wherein the glass fibers in the matrix
have diameters in the range of 3 to 20 microns.
71. The panel of claim 67 wherein said glass fibers are about the
same length.
72. The panel of claim 70 wherein said glass fibers are about the
same length.
73. The panel of claim 71 wherein the length of said fibers are
approximately 0.75+0.08 inch.
74. The panel of claim 72 wherein the length of said fibers are
approximately 0.75.+-.0.08 inch.
75. The panel of claim 68, wherein said glass fibers are shorter
than 3 inches.
76. The panel of claim 70 wherein said glass fibers are shorter
than 3 inches.
77. The panel of claim 68 wherein said matting has at least 35% by
weight nitrogen.
78. The panel of claim 68 wherein said melamine resin binder is
5-50% by weight of the finished matting, the glass fibers are
10-95% by weight of the finished matting and further including
organic fibers constituting 0-50% by weight of the finished
matting.
79. The panel of claim 78 wherein said organic fibers come from the
group consisting of natural thermoplastic or thermoset
polymers.
80. The panel of claim 78 wherein said organic fibers come from the
group of natural fibers including wood, cotton cellulose
derivatives such as rayon or acetate fibers.
81. The panel of claim 36 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
82. The panel of claim 53 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
83. The panel of claim 54 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
84. The panel of claim 55 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
85. The panel of claim 62 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
86. The panel of claim 63 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
87. The panel of claim 64 wherein said outer sheet is made of the
same fiberglass matting as the dividers.
88. The panel of claim 52,wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
89. The panel of claim 53 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
90. The panel of claim 55 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
91. The panel of claim 62 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
92. The panel of claim 63 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
93. The panel of claim 64 wherein said connector means is an inner
sheet.
94. The panel of claim 88 wherein said inner sheet is made of the
same material as said dividers.
95. The panel of claim 94 wherein said outer sheet is also made of
the same material as said dividers.
96. The panel of claim 2 wherein said dividers are individually
compressible to permit the outer sheet to be depressed at a single
location without deforming the connector means.
97. The panel of claim 2 wherein said dividers are individually
compressible to permit compression of some dividers without
compressing all dividers in the panel.
98. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said panel is curvable
without effecting its structural integrity.
99. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein some of said dividers are
parallel and other dividers are perpendicular thereto.
100. The panel of claim 99 wherein said dividers are elongated and
said perpendicular dividers are positioned at opposite longitudinal
ends of said parallel dividers.
101. The panel of claim 100 wherein said dividers are cellular.
102. The panel of claim 101 wherein said dividers in transverse
cross-section define a pair of stacked, inverted, truncated
triangles.
103. The panel of claim 5 wherein said dividers are positioned in
closely adjacent relationship except at locations where it is
desired to fold the panel along a fold line parallel to said
dividers and at said locations, the two dividers closest to said
fold line being spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit a
folding of the panel along the fold line.
104. The panel of claim 103 wherein said dividers have a
predetermined width and said two dividers are spaced apart a
distance substantially the same as the width of a divider.
105. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said panel has a thickness
in the range of 12 mm to 26 mm when the dividers are expanded.
106. The panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said panel has a thickness
in the range of 3 mm to 4 mm when said at least one divider or
dividers are compressed.
107. The panel of claim 105 wherein said panel has a thickness in
the range of about 3 mm to 4 mm when the panel is compressed.
108. A structural panel having an outer layer and a cellular
structure wherein the cellular structure is made of a fiber glass
material.
109. The panel of claim 108 wherein said fiberglass material is a
fiberglass matting.
110. The panel of claim 109 wherein said matting is composed of a
glass fiber matrix bonded with a fire retardant melamine resin
composition.
111. The panel of claim 110 wherein said matting has at least 27%
by weight nitrogen in the dry, but uncured state of the melamine
resin.
112. The panel of claim 110 wherein the glass fibers in the matrix
have diameters in the range of 3 to 20 microns.
113. The panel of claim 110 or 112 wherein said glass fibers are
about the same length.
114. The panel of claim 113 wherein the length of the glass fibers
is approximately 0.75.+-.0.08 inch.
115. The panel of claim 110 or 112 wherein said glass fibers are
shorter than 3 inches.
116. The panel of claim 108, 109, 110, 111, or 112 wherein said
cellular structure is compressible.
117. A structural panel having an outer sheet comprised of a
plurality of interconnected strips and a cellular structure
connected to said outer sheet.
118. The structural panel of claim 117 wherein said strips form a
part of said cellular structure.
119. The structural panel of claim 118 wherein said outer sheet is
non-homogenous.
120. The structural panel of claim 117 further including an inner
sheet on an opposite side of said cellular structure form said
outer sheet.
121. The structural panel of claim 120 wherein said inner sheet is
composed of interconnected strips.
122. The structural panel of claim 121 wherein said strips form a
part of said cellular structure.
123. The structural panel of claim 122 wherein said inner sheet in
non-homogenous.
124. The structural panel of claim 117 wherein said cellular
structure is made from creased strips of material creased along an
intermediate portion and along at least one edge to define marginal
flaps which are interconnected to form said outer sheet, said flaps
defining said strips of the outer sheet.
125. The structural panel of claim 124 wherein said creased strips
are parallel.
126. The structural panel of claim 124 wherein there are two
marginal flaps on each creased strip with the marginal flaps
defining interconnected strips forming the outer sheet and an inner
sheet.
127. The structural panel of claim 117 wherein said cellular
structure is made from a plurality of creased strips of material
creased along an intermediate portion and along at least one edge
to define at least one marginal flap and wherein said marginal
flaps are secured together by an outer sheet.
128. The structural panel of claim 127 wherein there are marginal
flaps along each edge of the creased strips with the marginal flaps
along one edge being secured together by the outer sheet and along
the opposite edge by an inner sheet.
129. The structural panel of claims 127 and 128 wherein said
creased strips are parallel.
130. The structural panel of claim 1 or 2 wherein said dividers are
of elongated tubular construction and are formed from elongated
strips of material.
131. The panel of claim 130 wherein said strip include a plurality
of longitudinally extending fold lines.
132. The panel of claim 131 wherein at least some of said fold
lines are folded in an opposite direction from others of said fold
lines.
133. The panel of claim 132 wherein said elongated tubes in cross
section define a pair of stacked, inverted truncated triangles.
134. The panel of claim 130 wherein said strips include opposite
longitudinal edges which are positioned adjacent to each other.
135. The panel of claim 134 wherein said strips, further include
elongated fold lines.
136. The panel of claim 135 wherein said at least some of said fold
lines are folded in an opposite direction from other fold
lines.
137. The panel of claim 136 wherein said elongated tubes in cross
section define a pair of stacked, inverted truncated triangles.
138. The panel of claim 137 wherein each truncated triangle defines
a base, with one base defining upper surface of the divider and the
other base a lower surface of the divider.
139. The panel of claim 138 wherein said bases are parallel.
140. The panel of claim 138 wherein said lower surface is secured
to said outer sheet.
141. The panel of claim 140 wherein said longitudinal edges are in
said upper surface.
142. The structural panel of claim 2 wherein said dividers are of
elongated tubular construction having substantially flat upper and
lower surfaces, said lower surface being secured to said outer
sheet and said upper surface to said connector means.
143. The structural panel of claim 142 wherein said dividers have a
pair of side partitions with each side partition having an inwardly
folded fold line.
144. The structural panel of claim 142 wherein said upper surface
is smaller than said lower surface.
145. The structural panel of claim 143 wherein said upper surface
is smaller than said lower surface.
146. The structural panel of claim 145 wherein each side partition
has an upper portion above the fold line and a lower portion
beneath the fold line and wherein said upper portion of each side
wall is shorter than said lower portion.
147. The structural panel of claim 145 wherein each side partition
has an upper portion above the fold line and a lower portion
beneath the fold line and wherein said upper and lower portions are
substantially the same length.
148. The panel of claim 140 wherein the lower surfaces of adjacent
dividers are secured to said outer sheet in immediately adjacent
relationship with each other.
149. The panel of claim 142 wherein the lower surfaces of adjacent
dividers are secured to said outer sheet in immediately adjacent
relationship with each other and said upper surfaces are connected
to said connector means in spaced relationship from each other.
150. The panel of claim 143 wherein said upper surface and said
lower surface are of the same size.
151. The panel of claim 150 wherein said upper surfaces are
connected to said connector means in immediate adjacent
relationship and said lower surfaces are connected to said outer
sheet in immediately adjacent relationship.
152. A compressible structural panel comprising in combination: at
least one outer sheet of material having an inner and outer face, a
plurality of compressible dividers that in a resting condition are
expanded and secured to and protrude from said inner face; and
connector means for securing said dividers together at locations
distal from said outer sheet; said dividers comprising elongates
strips of material having opposite longitudinal edges and a first
set of outer fold lines defining flaps along said edges for
attachment to said outer sheet and connector means.
153. The panel of claim 152 wherein said dividers further include
at least one inner fold line between said outer fold lines.
154. The panel of claim 153 wherein there are a pair of inner fold
lines.
155. The panel of claim 154 wherein said inner fold lines are
folded in opposite directions.
156. The panel of claim 152 wherein said dividers extend parallel
to each other defining cells therebetween.
157. A compressible panel comprising in combination: at least one
outer sheet of material having an inner and outer face, and a
plurality of compressible dividers that in a resting condition are
expanded and secured to and protrude from said inner face, said
dividers having at least one fold line such that a divider can be
folded upon itself along said fold line into a double ply position,
and wherein said dividers are made from a glass fiber material
wherein the breaking radius of the glass fibers is less than double
the thickness of the material.
158. The panel of claim 102 wherein said dividers have flat top and
bottom surfaces.
159. A clip for closing one edge of a cellular structural panel
wherein said panel has at least one outer sheet of material secured
to a plurality of compressible dividers which form cells in the
panel when the dividers are expanded, and wherein a portion of the
outer sheet and a portion of the dividers have been compressed and
are confinable in said clip to close open ends of the remainder of
the dividers which are expanded in a cellular condition, said clip
comprising: an elongated body of generally J-shaped transverse
cross-sectional configuration having a long side, a short side
separated from said long side by a connecting wall along one edge
of the clip, and a lip projecting from the long side along an
opposite edge of the clip from said connecting wall to define an
open channel in said clip.
160. The clip of claim 159 wherein said connecting wall is
substantially perpendicular to said long and short sides.
161. The clip of claim 160 wherein said lip is substantially
parallel to said connecting wall.
162. The clip of claim 161 wherein said lip extends in the same
direction from said long side as said connecting wall.
163. The clip of claim 162 further including a rib projecting from
said long side at said one edge of the clip, said rib projecting in
an opposite direction from said long side than said connecting
wall.
164. The clip of claim 163 wherein said rib extends the full length
of said clip.
165. The clip of claim 163 or 164 wherein said rib forms an oblique
angle with said long side.
166. The clip of claim 159, 162, or 163 further including a second
elongated body of substantially J-shaped transverse cross-section
secured to said first mentioned J-shaped body along said one edge,
said second body defining a channel extending perpendicularly to
said first mentioned channel.
167. The clip of claim 166 wherein said channel in said second body
is open along one edge thereof and opens in a direction transverse
to said first mentioned channel.
168. A structural panel and closure clip comprising in combination:
a structural panel comprised of at least one outer sheet of
material and a plurality of dividers secured to and protruding from
one face of said outer sheet, said dividers being parallel with
each other and movable from an expanded condition where they
protrude from said outer sheet to a compressed condition where they
are flattened in closely adjacent relationship with said outer
sheet, said dividers in said expanded condition forming a plurality
of parallel cells opening at opposite ends of the panel, and a
closure clip having an elongated body of substantially J-shaped
transverse cross-section so as to define a channel that is open
along one side, wherein said dividers in said panel have been
severed transversely along a line of severance adjacent to one of
said ends of said panel and compressed between said line of
severance and said one end, said compressed dividers and the outer
sheet of material secured thereto being received in said open
channel of said closure clip with the closure clip positioned so as
to close the open ends of said cells at said one end of the
panel.
169. The combination of claim 168 wherein said closure clip has a
long side, a short side separated from said long side by a
connecting wall along one edge of the clip, and a lip projected
from the long side along an opposite edge of the clip from said
connecting wall.
170. The combination of claim 168 wherein said connecting wall is
substantially perpendicular to said long and short sides.
171. The combination of claim 170 wherein said lip is substantially
parallel to said connecting wall.
172. The combination of claim 171 wherein said lip extends in the
same direction from said long side as said connecting wall.
173. The combination of claim 172 wherein said closure clip further
includes a rib projecting from said long side at said one edge of
the clip, said rib projecting in an opposite direction from said
long side than said connecting wall, said rib being adapted to
operatively interact with the adjacent open ends of said cells to
retain the closure clip in a position closing the open ends of said
cells.
174. The combination of claim 173 wherein said rib extends the full
length of said clip.
175. The combination of claim 173 or 174 wherein said rib forms an
oblique angle with said long side.
176. The combination of claims 169, 172, 173 wherein said clip
further includes a second elongated body of substantially J-shaped
transverse cross-section secured to said first mentioned J-shaped
body along said one edge, said second body defining a channel
extending perpendicularly to said first mentioned channel.
177. The combination of claim 176, wherein said channel in said
second body is open along one edge thereof and opens in a direction
transverse to said first mentioned channel.
178. The combination of claim 176 further including a matrix of
elongated support members having support ledges thereon, said
support ledges being received in said channels of said second
bodies to support a set of said structural panels on said support
members.
179. The combination of claim 178 wherein said support members are
of inverted T-shaped transverse cross-section having a vertical
main body and a cross member across lower edge of said main body,
said cross member defining said support ledges on opposite sides of
said main body.
180. The combination of claim 179 further including a second set of
panels supported on top surfaces of said support ledges such that
said second set of panels are superimposed over said first set of
panels.
181. The combination of claim 180 wherein said panels of the second
set are structurally different from said panels of the first
set.
182. The combination of claim 180 wherein said panels of the second
set are structurally the same as the panels of the first set.
183. A method of folding a panel along a fold line, said panel
having an outer sheet and a plurality of individual elongated cells
extending parallel to said fold line secured to said outer sheet
and protruding from one face of said outer sheet, said cells being
positioned closely adjacent to each other comprising the steps of:
removing a cell from said outer sheet adjacent to said fold line,
and folding the panel along said fold line.
184. A structural panel comprising in combination an outer sheet of
material and a plurality of adjacent dividers secured to and
protruding from the outer sheet, said dividers having fold lines
therein allowing the dividers to be folded in either direction
along said fold lines and when folded in one direction the dividers
are compressible into closely adjacent relationship with said outer
sheet but when folded in the opposite direction abut an adjacent
divider to reinforce the adjacent divider and render the panel
substantially incompressible, said dividers being made of a
material that biases the material toward a flat orientation even
after having been folded and the bias urging the dividers to fold
in said opposite direction whereby the panel can be compressed by
folding the dividers in said one direction but when allowed to
decompress will effect folding of the dividers in the opposite
direction to render the panel substantially incompressible.
185. The panel of claim 184 wherein said dividers are made of a
glass fiber bonded together with a mixture of a thermoset resin and
a thermoplastic resin.
186. A method of manufacturing a structural panel such that it is
self expanding from a compressed condition to an expanded
substantially incompressible condition, comprising the steps of:
providing an outer sheet of material, providing a plurality of
elongated dividers having fold lines therealong such that the
dividers can be folded in either direction along said fold lines,
said dividers being made of glass fibers that are bonded together
with a mixture of thermoset and thermoplastic resin such that the
dividers are biased toward a flat condition even after having been
folded, and securing the dividers to the outer sheet along one side
thereof in closely adjacent relationship such that when the
dividers are folded in a first direction along said fold lines the
panel can be compressed with the dividers in closely adjacent
relationship to said outer sheet and when folded in an opposite
direction the dividers abut adjacent dividers to reinforce the
dividers rendering the panel substantially incompressible.
187. The method of claim 186 further including the step of
increasing the amount of thermoplastic in the mixture to extend the
time period in which the dividers move from the compressed
condition to the expanded condition.
188. The method of claim 186 or 187 further including the step of
securing a connector means to an opposite side of said dividers
from said one side where the dividers are connected to the outer
sheet to prevent the dividers from expanding to a flat
condition.
189. A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction
coefficient in excess of 0.8 at 125 Hz.
190. A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction
coefficient in excess of 0.9 at 250 Hz.
191. A compressible structural panel having a noise reduction
coefficient in excess of 0.9 at 4000 Hz.
192. A compressible structural panel of claim 189 or 190 further
having a noise reduction coefficient in excess of 0.9 at 4000
Hz.
193. The compressible structural panel of claim 190 further having
a noise reduction coefficient in excess of 0.8 at 125 Hz.
194. The compressible structural panel according to claim 189, 191,
or 193 wherein said panel has a thickness in the range of 12 mm to
26 mm.
195. The compressible structural panel according to claim 192
wherein said panel has a thickness in the range of 12 mm to 26
mm.
196. The compressible structural panel of claim 194 wherein said
panel is compressible to a thickness in the range of 32 mm to 4
mm.
197. The compressible structural panel of claim 195 wherein said
panel is compressible to a thickness in the range of 32 mm to 4
mm.
198. A compressible divider for use in a structural panel
comprising: an elongated strip of material having fold lines
therein such that said strip of material can be folded upon itself
when compressed.
199. The divider of claim 198 wherein said strip of material is
semi-rigid.
200. The divider of claim 198 wherein said divider has an expanded
rest condition from which it can be compressed into a compressed
condition.
201. The divider of claim 200 wherein said divider is biased toward
its expanded condition.
202. The divider of claim 201 wherein said fold lines define flaps
along edges of the strip of material and partitions between said
flaps.
203. The divider of claim 202 wherein there are fold lines in said
portions such that the partitions can fold upon themselves.
204. The divider of claim 203 wherein said flaps and partitions are
positioned in face-to-face relationship when the divider is in the
compressed condition.
205. The divider of claim 198, 200 or 202 wherein said strip of
material is fiberglass including a plurality of glass fibers bonded
together with a resin.
206. The divider of claim 205 wherein said resin is a thermoset
resin.
207. The divider of claim 205 wherein said resin is a thermoplastic
resin.
208. The divider of claim 205 wherein said resin is a combination
of thermoset and thermoplastic resins.
209. The divider of claim 202 wherein said partitions each include
a longitudinal fold line so as to define a pair of partition
portions on each partition.
210. The divider of claim 209 wherein said divider portions are of
the same size.
211. The divider of claim 209 wherein said divider portions are of
different sizes.
212. The divider of claim 198, 200 or 202 wherein said strip of
material is made of fiberglass matting.
213. The divider of claim 212 wherein said matting is composed of a
glass fiber matrix bonded with a fire retardant melamine resin
composition.
214. The divider of claim 213 wherein said matting has at least 27%
by weight nitrogen in the dry, but uncured state of the melamine
resin.
215. The divider of claim 213 wherein the glass fibers in the
matrix have diameter sin the range of 3 to 20 microns.
216. The divider of claim 213 wherein said glass fibers are about
the same length.
217. The divider of claim 216 wherein the length of said fibers is
approximately 0.75.+-.0.08 inch.
218. The divider of claim 213 wherein the length of said fibers is
less than 3 inches.
219. The divider of claim 213 wherein said melamine resin has at
least 35% by weight nitrogen.
220. The divider of claim 213 wherein said melamine resin is 5-50%
by weight of the finished matting the glass fibers are 10-95% by
weight of the finished matting and further including organic fibers
constituting 0-50% by weight of the finished matting.
221. The divider of claim 220 wherein said organic fibers come from
the group consisting of thermoplastic or thermoset polymers.
222. The divider of claim 220 wherein said organic fibers come from
the group of natural fibers including wood, cotton and cellulose
derivatives such as rayon or acetate fibers.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 09/839373, filed Apr. 23, 2001, which application claims the
benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/199208, filed Apr.
24, 2000. Both applications are hereby incorporated by reference as
if fully disclosed herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] A structural panel which finds use as a ceiling panel or
wall panel, includes an outer sheet having a plurality of spaced
dividers protruding from one face thereof and a connecting sheet,
or the like, parallel to and spaced from the outer sheet connecting
the dividers together along their sides distal the outer sheet. The
dividers are compressible for at least some period of time when
pressure is applied thereto to reduce the thickness of the panel
when desired, for example, for shipping purposes.
[0004] 2. Description of the Relevant Art
[0005] Structural panels used in the finish or decoration of
building structures have taken numerous forms from drywall to
decorative or acoustical ceiling panels. While such panels
obviously have different characteristics, the panels have had
numerous shortcomings, such as from a weight standpoint, a shipping
standpoint, a lack of aesthetic or acoustical variety, and the
like.
[0006] Some of these panels are used, for example, in drop ceiling
systems wherein a gridwork of inverted T-shaped support members
define rectangular openings in which acoustical panels or the like
are placed. Such acoustical panels are typically rigid in nature
and somewhat brittle. As a result, they are difficult to insert or
remove from the supporting gridwork and in many cases are easily
damaged during such process. Further, the ceiling panels are
relatively heavy and are of a fixed thickness so that their
shipping dimensions are the same as their installation dimensions.
Due to their weight and bulk during shipping, the cost per square
foot of such panels is relatively high.
[0007] Drywall is also relatively heavy, difficult to work with and
has a shipping size identical to that of its installation size. The
shipping cost for drywall is, therefore, also relatively high.
[0008] It will be appreciated from the above that structural panels
used in the construction, finish and decoration of building
structures suffer numerous shortcomings. A panel that would
overcome such shortcomings would, therefore, be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The structural panel of the present invention can be used
for a number of different uses as will be evident to those skilled
in the art upon a reading of the present disclosure. Fundamentally,
however, the panel would typically include an outer sheet of
semi-rigid material with a plurality of dividers protruding from
one face thereof. A connector in the form of a sheet or similar
means is secured to the distal edges of the dividers. The connector
could take the form of another sheet of material, strands of
connective fibers, or the like.
[0010] The dividers are collapsible in nature and could take
numerous forms. In some of the described embodiments, the dividers
are elongated cells having collapsible sides so that when lateral
or transverse pressure is applied to the cell in predetermined
directions it will collapse into a shallow space. The dividers can
be formed from folding a strip of semi-rigid material such that the
longitudinal sides or partitions fold inwardly or outwardly when
the divider is compressed laterally. The dividers are constructed
so as to normally assume an expanded or extended position of
predetermined configuration and are resilient so as to return to
that configuration after having been compressed. The dividers are
secured to the outer sheet and the connector so as to remain in
position relative thereto.
[0011] As will be appreciated, with a panel so formed, it will
assume an expanded form in its normal at rest condition, but by
applying pressure to the outer sheet or the connector, the dividers
are caused to collapse allowing the entire panel to assume a very
thin thickness or profile. This, of course, is very advantageous
for shipping purposes as a greater number of panels can be confined
in a container than is possible with prior art panels that have a
uniform thickness during shipping and use. The panels are also
predominantly air filled and, therefore, are very lightweight.
[0012] It will further be appreciated from the more detailed
description hereafter that the panels can be bent at least in one
direction to facilitate installation in a drop ceiling or the like
but are resilient to resume their normal at rest position. Further,
the panels are not brittle and do not damage easily. They can,
further, be cut very simply into any predetermined size and/or
configuration.
[0013] Decorative sheets can also be overlaid onto the outer sheet,
the connector sheet or the like of the panel to give the panel a
desired aesthetic look. For example, a sheet of wood veneer, vinyl,
patterned or contoured paper, colored paper, thin metal, polyester,
other synthetic material, fabric, non-woven, or the like, can be
overlaid so that the panel, when in use, has any desired
appearance. Further, the panel can be interiorly or exteriorly
lined with metal foil to change the properties of the panel.
[0014] Other aspects, features and details of the present invention
can be more completely understood by reference to the following
detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in
conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a panel formed in accordance
with the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary isometric view looking upwardly at a
drop ceiling in a building structure, with the panels of FIG. 1
incorporated therein.
[0017] FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line
3-3 of FIG. 2.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a front elevation of a strip of material from
which a divider of the panel of the present invention is made.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the strip of material shown
in FIG. 4 being creased to form pre-fold lines.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the strip of material shown
in FIG. 4 after having been creased as shown in FIG. 5.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the strip of material shown
in FIG. 6 having been folded along the preformed fold lines.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a front elevation of the divider as shown in FIG.
7 having been compressed.
[0023] FIG. 8A is an enlarged section of the circled area of FIG.
8.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a front elevation similar to FIG. 8 with a layer
of adhesive shown in dashed lines positioned above and below the
divider.
[0025] FIG. 10 is a front elevation similar to FIG. 9 with an outer
sheet and a connector sheet being positioned above and below the
layers of adhesive.
[0026] FIG. 11 is a front elevation showing the composite
illustrated in FIG. 10 being heat compressed between heating
elements.
[0027] FIG. 12 is a fragmentary end elevation of a panel formed in
accordance with the present invention and with a decorative layer
of material being adhesively secured to the outer sheet of the
panel.
[0028] FIG. 13 is a fragmentary end elevation of the panel as shown
in FIG. 12 being compressed between heated press elements.
[0029] FIG. 14 is an end elevation of a panel as shown in FIG. 12
having dividers with asymmetric partitions and with the panel fully
expanded.
[0030] FIG. 15 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 14 with the
panel being partially compressed.
[0031] FIG. 16 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 15 with the
panel being slightly further compressed.
[0032] FIG. 17 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 16 with the
panel being fully compressed.
[0033] FIG. 18 is an isometric view of the panel as shown in FIG.
14.
[0034] FIG. 19 is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the
panel shown in FIG. 18.
[0035] FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 18
in a fully compressed condition.
[0036] FIG. 21 is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the
panel as seen in FIG. 20.
[0037] FIG. 22 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels
stacked together while in a compressed condition.
[0038] FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the panels shown in FIG. 22
in an expanded condition.
[0039] FIG. 24 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the
panel shown in FIG. 14 with end supports for the panel to inhibit
the panel from bending.
[0040] FIG. 25 is a fragmentary section taken along line 25-25 of
FIG. 24.
[0041] FIG. 26 is a fragmentary isometric with parts removed
showing an end support on one end of the panel and a second end
support being installed on the opposite end of the panel.
[0042] FIG. 27 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through a
portion of the panel illustrating an alternative embodiment of the
divider wherein the divider includes an inner layer of a metallic
foil.
[0043] FIG. 28 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the
panel similar to FIG. 27 showing still another alternative
arrangement of the divider wherein a metal foil is applied to the
outer surface of the divider.
[0044] FIG. 29 is a transverse section taken through the panel as
shown in FIG. 14 with the panel being compressed on its top
surface.
[0045] FIG. 30 is a section taken along line 30-30 of FIG. 29.
[0046] FIG. 31 is an end elevation of the panel shown in FIG. 14
with the panel being curved concave upwardly.
[0047] FIG. 32 is an end elevation of a panel in accordance with a
second embodiment of the present invention wherein the partitions
of the dividers are symmetric rather than asymmetric as shown in
FIG. 31.
[0048] FIG. 33 is an isometric view showing a panel in accordance
with the present invention wherein the connection means are
elongated strands or fibers that are secured to the dividers
distally from the outer sheet.
[0049] FIG. 34 is an enlarged isometric showing a portion of the
panel illustrated in FIG. 33.
[0050] FIG. 35 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 33
with the panel having been bent or curved so as to be upwardly
concave.
[0051] FIG. 36 is an end elevation of a panel formed in accordance
with the present invention and corresponding to the panel shown in
FIG. 32.
[0052] FIG. 37 is an end elevation of the panel shown in FIG. 36
with the panel partially compressed.
[0053] FIG. 38 is an end elevation of the panel shown in FIG. 37
having been fully compressed.
[0054] FIG. 39 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 38
in a fully compressed condition.
[0055] FIG. 40 is an isometric view of a portion of the panel shown
in FIG. 36 in a fully expanded condition.
[0056] FIG. 41 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels of the
type shown in FIG. 36 having been compressed and stacked
together.
[0057] FIG. 42 is an isometric view of a portion of the panels of
the type shown in FIG. 36 having been stacked in a fully expanded
condition.
[0058] FIG. 43 is a diagrammatic end elevation of a panel with
asymmetric dividers illustrating dimensional characteristics
thereof.
[0059] FIG. 44 is a diagrammatic end elevation of a panel with
symmetric dividers illustrating dimensional characteristics
thereof.
[0060] FIG. 45 is an enlarged end elevation of a portion of the
panel of FIG. 43 illustrating other dimensional
characteristics.
[0061] FIG. 46 is an enlarged end elevation of a portion of the
panel of FIG. 44 illustrating other dimensional
characteristics.
[0062] FIG. 47 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 45 showing the
panel compressed with a force F.
[0063] FIG. 48 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 46 showing the
panel compressed with a force F.
[0064] FIG. 49 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a
divider for use in the panel of the present invention.
[0065] FIG. 50 is an end elevation of the divider shown in FIG.
49.
[0066] FIG. 51 is an end elevation of a panel including a plurality
of the dividers shown in FIG. 49 in an expanded form.
[0067] FIG. 52 is a reduced end elevation of the panel shown in
FIG. 51 in a compressed form.
[0068] FIG. 53 is an isometric view of still another embodiment of
a divider for use in the panel of the present invention.
[0069] FIG. 54 is an end elevation of the divider shown in FIG.
53.
[0070] FIG. 55 is an end elevation of a panel formed in accordance
with the present invention and utilizing the divider of FIG. 53
with the panel in an expanded form.
[0071] FIG. 56 is a reduced end elevation of the panel of FIG. 55
in a compressed form.
[0072] FIG. 57 is an isometric view of still another embodiment for
a divider for use in the panel of the present invention.
[0073] FIG. 58 is an end elevation of the divider shown in FIG.
57.
[0074] FIG. 59 is an end elevation of a panel utilizing the divider
of FIG. 57 with the panel shown in an expanded form.
[0075] FIG. 60 is a reduced end elevation of the panel shown in
FIG. 59 in a compressed form.
[0076] FIG. 61 is an isometric view of still another divider for
use in the panel of the present invention.
[0077] FIG. 62 is an end elevation of the divider shown in FIG.
61.
[0078] FIG. 63 is an end elevation of a panel utilizing the divider
shown in FIG. 61 and with the panel in an expanded form.
[0079] FIG. 64 is a reduced end elevation of the panel shown in
FIG. 63 in a compressed form.
[0080] FIG. 65 is an exploded isometric view of a panel similar to
that shown in FIG. 1 that has been rigidified by providing
additional dividers at the ends of the panel that extend
perpendicular to the primary dividers.
[0081] FIG. 66 is a side elevation of the panel shown in FIG.
65.
[0082] FIG. 67 is an end elevation of the panel shown in FIG.
65.
[0083] FIG. 68 is an end elevation of a further embodiment of the
present invention in which the panel can be bent at a right
angle.
[0084] FIG. 69 is an isometric view of a panel formed as in FIG. 68
with the panel in a fully compressed condition.
[0085] FIG. 70 is a side elevation of the panel shown in FIG.
69.
[0086] FIG. 71 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 68 with the
panel slightly further expanded.
[0087] FIG. 72 is an isometric view of the panel of FIG. 68 having
been bent along a right angle and with the panel fully
expanded.
[0088] FIG. 73 is an end elevation of the panel as shown in FIG.
72.
[0089] FIG. 74 is an fragmentary isometric view of an end of a
panel with a segment of the panel having been partially cut.
[0090] FIG. 75 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 74 with
the partially cut segment of the panel having been compressed and
positioned for receipt of an elongated clip.
[0091] FIG. 76 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIGS. 74 and
75 showing the clip having been mounted on the compressed segment
of the panel.
[0092] FIG. 77 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 76
wherein the clip mounted on the compressed segment of the panel is
being folded upwardly.
[0093] FIG. 78 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 77
wherein the clip mounted on the compressed segment of the panel has
been folded 90.quadrature. into abutment with the new end of the
panel.
[0094] FIG. 79 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line
79-79 of FIG. 78.
[0095] FIG. 80 is a fragmentary isometric view of an alternative
arrangement of a ceiling system wherein panels are suspended from
rather than supported by a supporting gridwork.
[0096] FIG. 81 is an isometric view of a panel for use in the
ceiling system shown in FIG. 80.
[0097] FIG. 82 is a fragmentary isometric view of an end of a clip
member used in the panel of FIG. 81.
[0098] FIG. 83 is a fragmentary isometric view of the clip of FIG.
82 mounted on the longitudinal end of the panel shown in FIG.
81.
[0099] FIG. 84 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section
taken along line 84-84 of FIG. 80.
[0100] FIG. 85 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional taken along
line 85-85 of FIG. 80.
[0101] FIG. 86 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 85
with the conventional acoustical tiles removed from their supported
relationship to the support members.
[0102] FIG. 87 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken
through the panel of FIG. 81 showing the outer sheet extended from
a longitudinal side edge of the panel.
[0103] FIG. 88 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 87
with the extended outer sheet being folded up and adhesively
secured to a longitudinal end of the panel of FIG. 81.
[0104] FIG. 89 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 88
with the panel slightly compressed.
[0105] FIG. 90 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 89
with the panel further compressed.
[0106] FIG. 91 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 90
with the panel substantially fully compressed.
[0107] FIG. 92 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section
showing the outer sheet extending longitudinally from one end of
the panel of FIG. 81.
[0108] FIG. 93 is a longitudinal fragmentary vertical section
similar to FIG. 92 with a stiffener strip supported on the outer
sheet extension.
[0109] FIG. 94 is a longitudinal fragmentary vertical section
similar to FIG. 93 with a clip secured to the outer sheet
extension.
[0110] FIG. 95 is a longitudinal fragmentary vertical section
similar to FIG. 94 with the clip being folded upwardly to overlie
the longitudinal end of the panel.
[0111] FIGS. 92A-95A are views identical to FIGS. 92-95,
respectively, showing an alternative system for mounting a clip to
the end of a panel with the end of the panel being compressed in a
manner to replace the stiffener strip used in FIGS. 92-95.
[0112] FIG. 96 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical
section taken along line 96-96 of FIG. 81.
[0113] FIG. 97 is a transverse section with portions removed
showing one divider being removed to facilitate a folding of the
panel.
[0114] FIG. 98 is a transverse section with portions removed
similar to FIG. 97 showing the panel folded about the space where
the divider was removed as seen in FIG. 97.
[0115] FIG. 99 is a graph illustrating acoustical comparisons
between a panel in accordance with the present invention and other
panels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0116] The compressible structural panel 50 of the present
invention is probably best shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 to include a
plurality of collapsible preferably parallel dividers or beams 52
extending between an outer sheet 54 (not seen in FIG. 1) and a
connector sheet 56. A decorative sheet 58, as seen in FIGS. 1 and
12, may be provided to overlie in face-to-face relationship the
outer sheet 54. As will be explained in more detail later, the
panel is compressible from its normal expanded condition shown in
FIGS. 1 and 12 to a fully collapsed or compressed condition as
shown in FIG. 17. The panel is also bendable in one transverse
direction, as will be described in more detail later, but can be
rigidified to inhibit bending in any direction. The panel is
further comprised mostly of air and is, therefore, very light and
easy to handle.
[0117] The panel 50 has many possible uses in building structures,
such as, for example, it might be used as a wall panel, fixed
ceiling panel, as panels for a drop ceiling, or the like. It will
also be appreciated from the description that follows that the
panels could be made of different sizes some of which might be
inordinately large in comparison to conventional panels used in
building structures. For purposes of the present disclosure, the
panel is illustrated of conventional size and for use in a drop
ceiling as shown in FIG. 2.
[0118] In a typical drop ceiling system, a gridwork of elongated
inverted T-shaped support members 60, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, are
conventionally supported from a ceiling thereby defining
rectangular openings 62 and peripheral support edges 64 around
those openings on which a ceiling tile or panel 50 can be
positioned. Traditional ceiling panels, not being bendable or
otherwise pliable, are difficult to insert into the rectangular
openings 62 and due to the fact that they are also brittle, they
are many times damaged or broken when being inserted. The panel of
the present invention, as will be appreciated with the description
that follows, is inherently bendable so as to facilitate its
insertion into the rectangular opening of a drop ceiling system and
once in place will resume a desired flat planar orientation.
[0119] As probably best seen in FIG. 12, the dividers 52 are formed
from individual strips 66 (FIG. 4) of material which have been
pre-creased and folded into a desired configuration so that when
incorporated into the panel 50 are transversely collapsible
allowing the panel to be compressed if desired. The dividers are
secured along top portions thereof to the connector sheet 56 and
along bottom portions thereof to the outer sheet 54 with the
connections desirably being made with adhesive 68, but other
systems for connecting the components would be evident to those
skilled in the art. The outer sheet is, in turn, adhesively or
otherwise secured in face-to-face relationship to the decorative
sheet 58, which is the sheet that is exposed to the interior of the
building structure in which the panel is incorporated. A sheet may
be defined as one or more pieces of material interlocked, bonded,
welded, or otherwise joined to define a broad expansive surface.
The decorative sheet could be any material such as real or
synthetic wood, vinyl, patterned or contoured paper, foil,
polyester, other synthetic material, fabric, non-woven, or the
like. Of course, this material would normally be selected for the
desired decor of the room in which the ceiling panel is being
incorporated but might also be selected for its acoustical
properties.
[0120] In the disclosed embodiment, the outer sheet 54, the
connector sheet 56 and the dividers 52 may be, but would not
necessarily be, made from the same material. That material might be
a fiberglass sheet composed of randomly oriented glass fibers
bonded together in a resin. As will be explained in more detail
later, the resin could be a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic
resin depending upon the desired characteristics of the panel. The
adhesive 68 used to join the various components of the panel might
typically be a thermosetting adhesive, which bonds the adjacent
components upon attaining a predetermined temperature.
Illustrations of suitable adhesives would include, however,
polyurethane resins, copolyester hot melts, hot melt polyurethane
reactive adhesives, two part epoxies, two part urethanes and RTV
silicones.
[0121] The dividers 52, as best illustrated in cross-section in
FIG. 12, might, in combination, be formed from one continuous strip
of material but in the disclosed embodiment are each individual
dividers of an elongated cellular or tubular configuration. Each
divider is formed from the strip 66 of material such as fiberglass
in a manner as shown in FIGS. 4-11.
[0122] In FIG. 4, a front view of the flat strip 66 is illustrated
before it is passed into a creaser. In the creaser, as seen in FIG.
5, the material is passed between rotary creasing wheels 70 and
back up rollers 72 so that longitudinally extending creases 74 are
formed in the material at predetermined laterally spaced locations.
In the preferred system, the creasing wheels have an arcuate
creasing edge approximately a {fraction (1/32)}" diameter and the
back-up rollers are of 90-durometer hardness. With this apparatus,
an efficient fold line is created without cutting the material or
at least without damaging many, if any, of the glass fibers so that
a spring force is retained in the material. As will be appreciated,
starting at the left of the strip of material as shown in FIG. 5, a
crease 74a is placed near the left edge in the top surface and
another crease 74b is placed in the top surface at a location
spaced slightly to the left of center. Between these two locations
a crease 74c is placed in the bottom surface of the strip.
Corresponding creases are placed on the right side of the strip so
that the strip upon exiting the creaser has six creases formed
therein as illustrated in FIG. 6. The strip 66 of material is then
folded over and along the longitudinal creases as illustrated in
FIGS. 7, 8 and 8A bringing the side edges 76 of the strip together
at a centered location on the top of the divider 52. Preferably,
the breaking diameter of the fibers in the material is less than
the combined thickness of the folded material so that minimal, if
any, damage occurs to the fibers during folding. When so formed,
the divider forms an elongated tube or cell comprised of two
truncated triangles 78 and 80 that are inverted relative to each
other. The lower triangle 78 has a broader base than the upper
triangle 80. The fiberglass material from which the divider is made
is semi-rigid so that it can be flexed and folded along crease
lines 74 but remains substantially flat between such folds.
Applying pressure to the cell as configured in FIG. 7 in a vertical
direction causes the components of the cell to collapse so that the
divider assumes a compressed configuration as shown in FIG. 8. In
the compressed configuration, the adhesive 68 can be applied across
the top and bottom of the divider with the adhesive preferably
being a thermosetting or thermoplastic adhesive applied in any of
various different ways, which would be readily known to those
skilled in the art.
[0123] As seen in FIG. 10, the divider 52 with adhesive 68 applied
to its upper and lower faces is then passed between the outer sheet
54 and the connector sheet 56 and as seen in FIG. 11, the entire
laminate is then compressed between heated plates 82 which activate
the adhesive 68 in the case of thermoplastic adhesives or act as a
catalyst in the case of thermosetting adhesives. Subsequent heat
may be used to increase the curing rate of a thermosetting adhesive
if selected.
[0124] If a thermosetting resin is used in bonding the glass fibers
within the strips 66 and sheets 54 and 56 of material, the panel 50
will naturally expand to its preformed condition, as shown in FIG.
12, after having been compressed and bonded together. If the resin
bonding the glass fibers is a thermoplastic resin, it will remain
compressed but need only be reheated and the strips will inherently
expand under the heat, which might be applied, for example, with a
hair dryer. Under any circumstance, the panel can either inherently
expand or be selectively expanded to a desired height or
thickness.
[0125] While it would be evident to one skilled in the art to
modify the material from which the dividers 52, outer sheet 54 and
connector sheet 56 are made, and in fact they could each be made of
different materials, for purposes of the present disclosure, the
following materials have been found satisfactory for each of the
outer and connector sheets as well as the dividers:
[0126] JM type 8802-100GSM (Glass Mat with thermoplastic resin) or
JM type MF5020GSM (Glass Mat with thermosetting resin), each made
by Johns-Manville Corp. of Denver, Colo.; or Ahlstrom type 51 50
GSM (Glass Tissue with thermosetting resin) made by Ahlstrom of
Karhula, Finland.
[0127] There are other materials that might work well, for example,
for the outer sheet or the connector sheet but not for the dividers
and, conversely, there are some materials that might work well for
the dividers but not for the outer and connector sheets. For
example, the outer and connector sheets could be one of many
different sheet types of material, such as paper, cardboard, metal,
plastic, polyester, other synthetic material, or the like. It does
not even need to have structural stability as such stability is
given to the panel by the dividers. The dividers, on the other
hand, while preferably being made of fiberglass, could be made of a
carbon fiber mat, some papers, cardboards, woven materials, films,
or combinations thereof, with the important feature being that they
have some predetermined modulus of resiliency, similar to the
specific materials identified above, which allows them to be folded
but remain resilient. If the materials are to be creased to define
fold lines as discussed above in connection with fiberglass
material, it is important that the material retain the modulus of
resiliency after having been creased, which, of course, is true
with fiberglass or carbon fiber materials.
[0128] As seen in FIG. 13, the decorative sheet 58 could also be
positioned between the outer sheet 54 and the heat press 82 with a
suitable adhesive 66 therebetween to bond the decorative sheet in
face-to-face relationship to the outer sheet. The resulting panel,
of course, is illustrated in FIG. 12. When bonding the decorative
sheet to the outer sheet and in addition to the alternatives
mentioned above, a porous decorative sheet can be used which is
bonded to the cover sheet with adhesive in a grid or printed dot
pattern. This would allow the lamination to more freely pass or
transmit sound therethrough. Conversely, if a continuous layer of
adhesive were used to join the decorative sheet and the cover
sheet, the transmission of sound through the laminate would be
decreased. Through the lamination process, a relatively unstable
decorative sheet can be rendered flat and stable with the resultant
flat surface possibly also providing impact and puncture resistance
superceding that of the cover sheet. It will be appreciated that
the acoustics of the panel can be changed by varying the outer
sheet material, the strip material, the adhesive, the connector
sheet, the spacing between the sheets, the manner in which the
assembly is joined together, or the like.
[0129] Other materials could cover or be laminated to the connector
sheet 56 as well. For example, films could be applied over the
connector sheet or an additional sheet of non-fiberglass material
laminated thereto. The panel in such case could be handled without
gloves in that fiberglass can be abrasive and otherwise harmful to
exposed skin. Further, the film or laminate for the connector sheet
56 could be printed with a manufacturer's identification or with a
measuring grid to facilitate cutting the panel to desired sizes.
Further, and as mentioned previously with regard to the outer sheet
54, porous laminates or films could also be overlaid onto the
connector sheet for acoustical purposes.
[0130] As mentioned, numerous materials might have applicability in
the present invention, but in the preferred mode, the connector
sheet and the dividers are made of the same material, which is a
fiberglass mat made by Johns-Manville Corporation and the mat may
be one designated No. 5802 or one designated No. 5803 by
Johns-Manville. The 5802 is a 120 g/m.sup.2 mat composed of 10%
PET/65% 16-micron glass/25% MF. The 5803 is a 100 g/m.sup.2 mat
composed of 12% PET/68% 16-micron glass/20% MF. MF is an
abbreviation for melamine formaldehyde resin, which exhibits the
characteristics of a thermoset resin. PET is an abbreviation for a
polyethylene terephthalate. Dividers made from either of the 5802
or 5803 material have the ability to expand with little or no
addition of heat after having been creased and folded as described
previously and after having been fully compressed. A more complete
description of the Johns-Manville products and related products can
be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,840,413, 5,942,288, and 5,972,434,
which are herein incorporated by reference.
[0131] The preferred outer sheet is a composite lamination of an
aesthetically pleasing textile material, which has been laminated
to a glass non-woven base using a co-polyester hot-melt adhesive.
Three different laminates are equally desirable. The first laminate
utilizes a base substrate in the nature of a thermal bond polyester
non-woven having a basis weight in the range of 45 to 75 g/m.sup.2
and can be purchased from Hollingsworth and Vose of Floyd, W. Va.
The adhesive pattern used to thermally bond the polyester fibers in
the non-woven base substrate becomes the visual pattern upon the
bottom surface of the outer sheet. When a small point-bonding
pattern with a bonding area of approximately 7% is used, the
preferred polyester non-woven material is one designated by
Hollingsworth and Vose as TR2315A-B. When a large point-bonding
pattern is used, approximately 21% bonding area, the preferred
material is designated TR2864C1 by Hollingsworth and Vose. Either
non-woven base substrate is then screen coated using an acrylic
binder/flame retardant coating with an additional weight of 15 to
25 g/m.sup.2. The coating can be formulated to increase the
durability of the non-woven base substrate while adding flame
retardant. The polyester non-woven base substrate can then be run
through a hot-melt roll coater/laminator where a flame resistant
co-polyester adhesive from, for example, EMS Chemie North America
of Sumter, N.C., is applied to the surface of either the polyester
non-woven base substrate or the material to be coated thereon. The
coating weight of this adhesive is dependent upon the bond strength
desired to achieve between the polyester non-woven base substrate
and the glass non-woven materials. Generally an adhesive having a
basis weight in the range of 30 to 45 g/m.sup.2 has been found
desirable. A Gravure roller, preferably having a crosshatch
25.times.25 pattern thereon is used to compressively laminate the
glass non-woven to the polyester non-woven base substrate. The
depth of the engraving on the Gravure roller is a main variable
related to the adhesive weight per area being applied. The adhesive
formulation obtained from EMS Chemie is a 50:50 mix of two
materials with the materials designated by EMS as Grilltex D1573G
and Grilltex VP1692G. The EMS Grilltex VP1692G is compounded with a
25% loading of an organic phosphorous flame retardant. The
resulting 50:50 mix produces a final flame-retardant loading of
approximately 13.5%. Following the application of the adhesive upon
the surface of the polyester non-woven, the adhesive is kept molten
until it reaches the nip of the roll coater/laminator where it is
joined with the glass non-woven. The glass non-woven is preferably
the afore-noted 5802 (120 g/m.sup.2) matting sold by
Johns-Manville, a glass non-woven from Ahlstrom designated
GFT-413G10-60-1300 (60 g/m.sup.2) or a non-woven glass matting from
Ahlstrom designated GFT-413G10-80-1300 (80 g/m.sup.2). A composite
laminate made with the above-noted materials is inherently
translucent and that feature combined with the ability of light to
travel down the length of the cells defined between the dividers in
a finished panel makes it possible to see shadows in the areas
where two cells meet.
[0132] The shadowing can be decreased if desired, by using, in lieu
of the afore-noted polyester non-woven, an aesthetic material
having a silver, gray, or black color upon its back side. The
backside is the one, which receives the hot-melt adhesive and is
subsequently laminated to the glass non-woven matting. The coloring
reduces the amount of light which can travel down the cells and up
through the surface thus reducing the shadowing effect.
[0133] An alternative aesthetic material to the polyester non-woven
described above is a knit material, which has a silver, gray, or
black appearance on one side. To achieve this, a knit material from
Gilford technical textiles of Greensboro, N. C., has been used with
the knit material being composed of two different types of yarns in
a single knit construction. The preferred yarns used are nylon and
polyester. The nylon yarns are mainly observed on one side of the
matting and the polyester on the other. The knitted material is
"cross-dyed" with black dyestuffs that have affinity for the nylon
and leaving the polyester white in color. A flame retardant and
soil release may also be added to the dye bath formulation. The
knit is then stabilized and a melamine resin added to stiffen the
fabric. The knit material can then be run through the roll
coater/laminator to laminate the knit material to the glass
non-woven material as previously described with the polyester fiber
material. The preferred Gravure roller pattern used in this case is
one having a random computerized dot pattern and which is well
known in the trade. When the silver, gray, or black side of the
knit is laminated to the glass non-woven material, the light
transmittance through the laminate is reduced by the presence of
the darker layer. The visual appearance of the surface is unique in
that it mimics the appearance of a perforated metal ceiling panel.
You can also laminate the white side of the knit material to the
glass non-woven material and when doing so, the appearance of the
knit lamination mimics a metal screen material but also eliminates
the shadowing effect.
[0134] Another method of reducing reflected light and transmitted
light shadowing is the use of a colored black, gray, or silver
glass non-woven material. If the pigmented black, gray, or silver
glass non-woven is laminated to either the polyester fiber mat or
the knit matting described previously, the shadowing effect can
also be reduced.
[0135] It should also be noted that the coloring of the aesthetic
material, whether it be the polyester fiber matting or the knit
material, could be obtained by printing or coating the materials
with a colored pigment. This would involve a secondary printing or
coating step, which would add to the cost. The use of colored or
pigmented adhesive may also be employed as a low-cost solution to
the shadowing and/or increased surface whiteness of the aesthetic
material.
[0136] FIGS. 14-17 illustrate the assembled panel 50 in
progressively compressed conditions with FIG. 14 showing the panel
in a fully expanded condition and FIG. 17 in a fully collapsed or
compressed condition.
[0137] An isometric view of the panel 50 is shown in FIG. 18 and an
enlargement thereof in FIG. 19. It will there be readily
appreciated that the dividers 52 are evenly spaced from each other
while extending parallel to each other and longitudinally of the
panel. Of course, in FIGS. 18 and 19, the panel is fully expanded
with the panel being shown fully compressed in corresponding views
20 and 21, respectively.
[0138] A problem with conventional ceiling panels is that they
remain of the same size and thickness during shipment, installation
and use. A desirable feature of the panel of the present invention
resides in the fact that, while the panel has a predetermined at
rest thickness that might correspond with that of conventional
ceiling panels when fully expanded, it can be compressed for
shipping purposes so that far more panels can be packed in one
container for shipping purposes thereby improving shipping costs
considerably. When the panels are removed from the shipping
container, they will either naturally expand if a thermosetting
resin was used in the fiberglass material or can be heated to
expand if a thermoplastic resin was used. While the panel could be
expanded to any desired thickness, a preferred panel for ceilings
might be in the range of 12 to 26 mm in thickness when desirably
expanded depending on the span of the panel but could be thicker or
thinner depending on use, and approximately 3-4 mm in thickness
when fully compressed.
[0139] As best seen in FIG. 31, the panel 50 can easily be flexed
or bent transversely of the direction in which the elongated
dividers 52 extend to facilitate the insertion of the panel into
the support structure of a drop ceiling, for example. In fact, the
panel can be preformed in the bent configuration so that this
becomes its at rest configuration should a curved panel be desired
for some reason. The panel will not flex or bend very easily in the
opposite direction, i.e. the direction in which the dividers
extend, as the tubular configurations of the dividers will inhibit
such. If desired, however, the panel can be substantially
rigidified so that it is inhibited from bending in either
transverse direction by placing support members 84 along opposite
ends of the panel so as to cover the open ends 86 of the tubular or
cellular dividers. The support members 84 can either be preformed
C-shaped channel members 88 (such as plastic, aluminum, etc.) of a
rigid configuration, as illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, or can be
strips 90 of adhesive material, for example, which are adhered to
the ends of the panel as illustrated in FIG. 26. While the strips
of adhesive material would have some flexibility, it would have
enough stiffness so that when incorporated onto the ends of the
panel, it will inherently prevent the panel from bending in a
transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the
dividers. Plastic or vinyl tapes or the like would be an
illustration of a suitable adhesive strip. As a further alternative
and as shown in FIGS. 65-67, a divider 52a could be placed at each
end of the panel to cover the open ends of the parallel dividers
52. The outer sheet 54 and connector sheet 56 are extended to cover
the dividers 52a which serve to rigidify the panel in the cross
direction.
[0140] The panel can also be rigidified in a cross-direction by
incorporating cross dividers (not shown) at selected locations
throughout the panel. The cross dividers would run perpendicular to
the primary dividers and might assume an identical or varied
configuration to the cross-sectional configuration of the primary
dividers. Of course, the cross dividers could be adhesively bonded
in the panel the same as the primary dividers. The height of the
dividers, whether they be primary dividers or cross dividers, can
also be varied across the width of a panel to create varied
structural and aesthetic effects.
[0141] To change the structural characteristics of the dividers 52,
the outer or inner surface of the divider can also be laminated
with another sheet of material and possibly a metallic sheet
material 92, which renders the divider material slightly more
rigid, as illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 27, respectively. A metallic
sheet would also affect the thermal characteristics of the panel.
FIG. 27 shows the metallic sheet material on a panel with a support
member 88 while FIG. 28 does not include a support member. Of
course, the lamination process would take place during the
formation of the divider and preferably immediately before
creasing.
[0142] As seen in FIGS. 29 and 30, the panel formed in accordance
with the above process is unique in that pressure applied at any
one location to one surface of the panel will only depress the
panel at that location and will not deform the opposite side of the
panel. The panel will also support multiples of its own weight
without deflection on the opposite side of the panel. By way of
example, a panel formed in accordance with the present invention
that is 26 millimeters thick when expanded and which is 24 inches
wide by 48 inches long weighs approximately 0.9 kilograms (1.98
pounds). The panel can support up to 2.9 kilograms load (6.38
pounds) in the form of a circular weight 10 inches in diameter with
minimal deflection observed on the opposite side of the panel.
Point loads of approximately 2 inches in diameter and weighing 1
kilogram (2.2 pounds) are also easily absorbed by the same panel
with no deflection of the bottom surface.
[0143] With reference to FIGS. 33-35, a second embodiment of a
panel 94 is illustrated wherein the connector sheet 54 has been
replaced with a connector in the form of a plurality of elongated
flexible but non-extensible strands or fibers 96. These strands or
fibers could be plastic, nylon or other similar material having the
same or similar characteristics. The strands or fibers of material
can be adhesively or otherwise bonded to tubular dividers 52' while
extending transversely thereto and with the fibers spaced from each
other preferably in a parallel relationship to each other. A panel
94 so formed can be easily flexed or bent, as illustrated in FIG.
35, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the
dividers as with the previously described panel.
[0144] In each of the afore-described embodiments of the invention,
the dividers have identical side partitions 98 (FIGS. 12 and 34)
which have longitudinal fold lines 100 therein so that the side
partitions collapse inwardly when the panel is compressed. The side
partitions thereby define upper and lower portions 98a and 98b,
respectively, which are rectangular in configuration but wherein
the upper portion 98a is of a smaller dimension than the lower
portion 98b. This arrangement might be referred to as an asymmetric
arrangement in that the upper portion of the divider is of a
different size than the lower portion.
[0145] A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated
in FIGS. 36-42 and in this embodiment, a panel 102 is identical to
that shown in FIG. 12 except that the partitions 104 in the
dividers 105 are symmetric in configuration. In other words, the
panel 102 includes an outer sheet 54' and a connector sheet 56'
interconnected by dividers with partitions and may include a
decorative panel 58' overlying the outer sheet if desired. Fold
lines 106 along the partitions 104, however, are positioned so that
an upper rectangular portion 104a of each partition is of equal
size to a lower rectangular portion 104b. The panel 102 can again
be compressed.
[0146] The compressed and expanded forms of the panel 102 shown in
FIGS. 36-38 are illustrated isometrically in FIGS. 39 and 40 and it
will be appreciated that the panel can be fully compressed to a
depth or profile that is far less than its normal expanded
condition.
[0147] As seen in FIGS. 41 and 42, when the panels are stacked, a
considerable amount of space can be saved by compressing the
panels, which, of course, saves considerable expense when shipping
as, more panels can be compressed and shipped in one container than
with conventional ceiling panels.
[0148] An advantage of a panel using symmetric dividers resides in
the elimination of telegraphing that can, if not carefully watched,
exist in compressed panels. Telegraphing is a phenomenon that can
result in compressed panels of the type described herein when a
sheet is compressed tightly against other components of the panel
such as dividers or partitions. If the pressure is too great or the
dividers exert too much resistance, a visual pattern can be seen
through the sheet where a partition is secured thereto and where it
is not.
[0149] By reference to FIG. 17, which illustrates a panel with
asymmetric dividers, it will be appreciated there are spaces
between the dividers along their connections to the connector
sheet, but such a gap hardly exists when using symmetric dividers
as best seen in FIG. 38. Accordingly, in a panel using symmetric
dividers as shown in FIG. 38, telegraphing is virtually eliminated
regardless of the pressure applied to the panel. It should also be
appreciated, however, that in panels of the present invention with
symmetric or asymmetric dividers, there is less tendency for
telegraphing due to the fact that when the connector sheet is
forced downwardly against the dividers, they do not resist the
pressure but simply compress so that an adequate pressure for
bonding the connector sheet to the dividers can be applied without
creating telegraphing.
[0150] By changing the location of the fold line 106 in each side
partition of a divider 105, the resistance of the panel to
compression can also be regulated. For example, in the at rest
expanded position of an asymmetric panel 50 such as disclosed as
the first embodiment of the present invention and shown in FIGS. 43
and 45, an obtuse angle (a) is formed in the side partition 98
which is greater than the corresponding angle (d) in the partition
104 as shown in FIG. 46 of a symmetric panel. The height A of each
panel in the expanded form is, however, identical. Note also the
difference in the length B and C of the upper and lower portions
98a and 98b, respectively, of the side partitions of the asymmetric
divider, whereas in the symmetric divider illustrated in FIG. 46,
the length D of the upper partition portion 104a and the lower
partition portion 104b are identical.
[0151] The greater the angle (a) or (d) in the side partition, the
more resistance there will be to compressing the panel, as
illustrated in FIGS. 47 and 48. In FIGS. 47 and 48, an equal force
F is shown being applied to the asymmetric divider panel 50 in FIG.
47 and the symmetric divider panel 102 in FIG. 48 and it will be
seen that the same amount of force compresses the symmetric divider
panel a greater amount. This is because the angle in the side
partition in the symmetric divider panel is smaller than the angle
in the asymmetric divider panel.
[0152] By way of illustration and not limitation, in a panel formed
in accordance with the present invention which has been found to
provide satisfactory performance and wherein the outer sheet,
connector sheet and dividers are all made of 100GSM Johns Manville
#8802 glass matting, the parameters identified in FIGS. 43 through
46 fall in the following ranges:
1 X = 5 to 10 mm S = 20 to 40 mm A = 15 to 26 mm B = 8 to 10 mm C =
13.5 to 17 mm D = 13.5 to 15 mm a = 100 to 120 degrees b = 100 to
120 degrees
[0153] In another alternative embodiment 108 of a panel in
accordance with the present invention shown in FIGS. 51 and 52, the
connector sheet of the previously described embodiments is
eliminated by the use of a unique divider 110. The divider 110, as
best seen in FIGS. 49 and 50, is of generally hourglass
configuration defining two truncated triangular zones 112 and 114
inverted relative to each other similarly to the first described
embodiment of the present invention, but the top of the divider has
a long horizontal leg adapted to overlap an adjacent divider so as
to have a segmented connector sheet 116 that is composed of a
plurality of interconnected strips defined by the horizontal top
leg of the divider. While the divider 110 has been shown to be
asymmetric, it could, in fact, assume a symmetric configuration
similar to that shown in the third described embodiment of the
present invention. The divider, therefore, has a base 118, a left
side partition 120 and a right side partition 122, with each side
partition having a horizontal leg 124 and 126 respectively at its
top. Both of the side partitions have a crease line 128 so that the
side partitions will collapse when pressure is applied to the top
or bottom of the divider. The horizontal top leg 126 of the right
side partition is approximately a third of the width of the divider
at its top, but the horizontal leg 124 from the left side divider
is slightly longer than the base 118 of the divider so that it
overlies and overlaps the horizontal top leg 122 of the right
divider.
[0154] As is best seen in FIG. 5 1, when a plurality of the
dividers 110 are positioned in immediately adjacent or contiguous
side-by-side relationship, the top horizontal leg 124 from the left
side partition 120 extends beyond the right side partition 122 and
into overlapping relationship with the top horizontal leg 124 of
the left side partition 120 of the next adjacent partition to the
right. The overlapping horizontal top legs 124 from the left side
partitions thereby form in combination a segmented but integrated
connector sheet. Of course, the top horizontal leg 124 from the
left side partitions of each divider is adhesively secured to the
top horizontal leg 126 from the right side partition and also to
the top horizontal leg 124 from the left side partition of the
divider that is to the immediate right thereof. A cover sheet 130
is secured to the base 118 of each of the dividers to interconnect
the dividers along their bases and, of course, a decorative sheet
(not shown) can be secured to the lower face of the outer sheet or
the segmented connector sheet if desired.
[0155] Still another embodiment 132 of a panel formed in accordance
with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 53-55, and in this
embodiment, the dividers 134 are not cellular in and of themselves
but are rather strips of material that have been folded into a
zig-zag pattern and secured between an outer sheet 136 and a
connector sheet 138 so as to form a cellular compressible panel.
Looking initially at FIGS. 53 and 54, the divider 134 is formed
from a strip of material which has a pair of outer parallel crease
lines 140 and inner parallel crease lines 142 but with the outer
crease lines being folded in opposite directions and the inner
crease lines being folded in opposite directions. A pair of
attachment surfaces or marginal zones 144 and 146 are thereby
defined between the outer crease lines 140 and the side edges 148
of the strip which can be secured in any suitable manner to the
outer sheet and the connector sheet respectively. In between these
marginal zones of the dividers, an intermediate portion 150 of the
divider has the two inner folds therein allowing the strip to
collapse when transverse pressure is applied to either of the
marginal zones. The panel 132 formed with the dividers 134 of FIGS.
53 and 54 is shown in FIGS. 55 and 56 in an expanded and compressed
condition, respectively.
[0156] Another divider 152 is shown in FIGS. 57 and 58 for use in a
panel 154 shown in FIGS. 59 and 60 in an expanded and collapsed
condition, respectively. The divider 152, as seen in FIGS. 57 and
58, includes a pair of parallel outer crease lines 156 with folds
in the same direction therein spaced inwardly from the side edges
158 of a strip of material from which the divider is formed and a
third intermediate crease line 160 between the parallel outer
crease lines. An upper marginal zone 162 is defined between one
edge of the strip of material and one of the outer crease lines and
a second much larger lower marginal zone 164 is defined along the
bottom of the divider between the associated edge of the strip of
material and the adjacent crease line. A fold in an opposite
direction is provided at the intermediate crease line 160 so that
the divider has upper and lower marginal zones of different widths
that both project to the right, as viewed in FIG. 8, from their
adjacent fold lines 156. The upper marginal zone 162 of each
divider is secured to a connector sheet 166 at parallel equally
spaced locations while the lower marginal zones 164 are adapted to
extend to the right and overlap a small portion of the next
adjacent divider to the right. The overlapping lower marginal zones
are secured to each other thereby forming an integrated segmented
outer sheet 168 formed from the plurality of lower marginal zones
of the respective dividers. Of course, a decorative sheet (not
shown) could overlie the interconnected lower marginal zones or the
connector sheet to provide variety to the aesthetics of the
panel.
[0157] A similar embodiment 170 of a divider is shown in FIGS.
61-64 where, again, a strip of material is provided with a pair of
outer crease lines 172 and an intermediate crease line 174
therebetween, with upper and lower marginal zones 176 and 178 being
defined between the edges 180 of the strip and the outer crease
lines 172. The folds at the outer crease lines 172 are in an
opposite direction to the fold along the intermediate crease line
174 so that the outer and lower marginal zones both project
horizontally to the right, as viewed in FIG. 62. As will be
appreciated, both of the horizontal zones extend horizontally
beyond the intermediate crease line 174 and are adapted to overlap
the upper and lower marginal zones of adjacent dividers to the
right so that they can be secured thereto in any suitable manner to
form the panel shown expanded in FIG. 63 and compressed in FIG.
64.
[0158] In a further embodiment of a panel 182 made in accordance
with the teachings of the present invention, and as seen in FIGS.
68-73, the panel again has an outer sheet 54, a connector sheet 56
and a plurality of dividers 184 extending therebetween. As is
probably best seen in FIGS. 68 and 71, the dividers 184a in a part
of the panel are of Z-shaped cross-section while the dividers 184b
in the other part of the panel are of reverse Z-shaped
cross-section. At the location 186 at which the direction of the
dividers changes, the panel can be bent at a right angle as seen in
FIGS. 72 and 73 so that the panel can, for example, follow the
right-angled contours of building components on which it is
mounted. For example, the panel could be wrapped around rectangular
ductwork of the type that might be found in a house for conducting
forced air or the like.
[0159] Referring again to FIGS. 68 and 71, it will be appreciated
on the right-hand portion of the panel that the dividers 184a are
Z-shaped in cross-section so as to define an upper horizontal leg
188 that extends to the left, a lower horizontal leg 190 that
extends to the right and a diagonal connecting leg 192 that
connects the right edge of the upper leg to the left edge of the
lower leg. The Z-shaped dividers 184a are, of course, formed
similarly to those described previously by placing crease lines in
strips of material from which the dividers are made and then
folding the strips of material along the crease lines. The reverse
Z-shaped dividers 184b on the left side of the panel, of course,
have an upper horizontal leg 194 that extends to the right, a lower
horizontal leg 196 that extends to the left and a diagonal
connecting leg 198 that extends from the left edge of the upper leg
to the right edge of the lower leg.
[0160] As is best seen in FIGS. 68 and 71-73, at the location 186
where the direction of the dividers changes, (in the illustrated
panel, near its center) the panel can be folded at a right angle.
The panel can then be fully expanded as shown in FIGS. 72 and 73 so
that the legs of the dividers are perpendicular to each other
thereby forming rectangular cells.
[0161] With reference to FIGS. 68 and 69, it will be appreciated
that the panel can also be compressed as with the earlier described
embodiments of panels made in accordance with the present
invention.
[0162] The panel is also amenable to rigidification in a
cross-direction in a manner illustrated in FIGS. 74-79. It will
there be appreciated that a segment of the panel near an end
thereof can be partially cut at 89 by cutting through the connector
sheet 56 and the dividers 52 (in a direction transverse to the
length of the dividers) but not severing the outer sheet 54. This
cut forms a small band 91 of material, which can be independently
compressed as illustrated in FIG. 75 to receive a rigidifying clip
93. The rigidifying clip in the disclosed embodiment is of
substantially J-shaped cross-section having a long side 95, a
spaced parallel short side 97, a connecting wall 99 interconnecting
corresponding edges of the long and short sides and a lip 101
depending from the long side along the opposite edge from the
connecting wall 99. The clip is mounted on the compressed band of
material so as to retain the material in a compressed state. The
clip and compressed material can then be folded upwardly as shown
in FIGS. 77 and 78 to form a rigidification along the end of the
panel. Of course, the rigidified band of material can be adhesively
secured in position after it has been folded upwardly as
illustrated in FIGS. 78 and 79 if desired.
[0163] The clip, with appropriate modification readily evident to
those skilled in the art, can also be used as a mounting clip for
suspending the panel from ceiling support members (not shown) such
as of the type described in co-pending application Ser. No.
08/752,957, filed Apr. 10, 2000, entitled A Cladding System and
Panel for Use in Such System, which is of common ownership with the
present invention. That application is hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0164] It should be further understood from the above description
of the various embodiments of the present invention that the
dividers each have unique features that could be incorporated into
the other embodiments. By way of example only, the upper and lower
portions of the side partitions of the various dividers or the
upper and lower portions of the walls separating the upper and
lower marginal zones could be of the same or different dimensions
so as to define symmetric and asymmetric dividers. Further, simply
changing the angle in the side partition of a divider causes one
panel to be more compressible than another. Similarly, by spacing
the dividers at greater distances, the panel would be more easily
bendable in a transverse direction to the dividers. The depth of
the dividers will also affect the strength of the panels (assuming
other parameters remain unchanged) so that the length and width of
a panel (i.e. the span) can be significantly enlarged without
altering strength or bonding characteristics of the panel simply by
increasing the depth of the dividers. Also, as mentioned
previously, numerous aesthetics and acoustical properties can be
created by laminating different types of decorative sheets to the
outer sheet of the panel so that one might create a different
color, pattern, texture, or the like to the interior of the room in
which the panel is used.
[0165] It will further be appreciated from the above description
that the material from which the outer sheet, connector sheet or
dividers is made can be varied to achieve different characteristics
for the panel. For example, the materials could be varied to obtain
different acoustic characteristics for the panel or to obtain
different light transmitting characteristics. Also, the materials
could be fire retardant to inhibit the spread of a fire in a
building in which the panels were being used. It would also be
possible to utilize different materials in the panel with for
example the cover sheet or the connector sheet being made of the
same or different materials and the dividers also being made of a
material that is the same as or different from one of the cover or
connector sheets. The dividers themselves might be made of
different materials in a single panel. For example certain dividers
may be provided to obtain the resilient and compressible feature of
the panel while other dividers might be provided to vary the
acoustics, light transmitting or fire retardant capabilities of the
panel. Also, the panels could be stacked in a building structure to
alter the acoustic or light transmitting characteristics of the
panels.
[0166] While the panels previously described have principally been
described for use as a replacement to conventional acoustical tiles
that are supported on the T-shaped support members of a drop
ceiling gridwork, the panel can be modified slightly so as to also
be suspendable from the same T-shaped support members. As will be
appreciated, by suspending panels of the present invention from the
T-shape support members 60, the panels can be used to replace or
renew an existing ceiling system with or without removing the
acoustical tiles positioned or supported on top of the T-shaped
support members 60.
[0167] A panel 200 that has been modified to be suspendable from or
supportable by the T-shaped support members 60 is shown in FIGS.
80-96 with a plurality of the panels shown in FIG. 8 installed in
underlying relationship to existing acoustical panels 202 supported
on support members 60. As will be appreciated, each panel 200 is of
the general type previously described and as seen in FIGS. 84-86
has an outer sheet 204, a connector sheet 206, and a plurality of
parallel cellular dividers 208 therebetween. The cellular dividers
are preferably, as previously described, compressible in nature and
best seen in FIGS. 87-91 as being formed from individual strips of
material that have been creased and folded so as to define
elongated tubes having two truncated triangular areas 210 and 212
superimposed upon each other. The dividers 208 have collapsible
intermediate side walls 214 with fold lines 216, which allow the
side walls to either collapse inwardly as shown in FIGS. 89-91 or
expand outwardly as shown in FIGS. 87 and 88 depending upon a
number of conditions including the type of binder used in the
fiberglass matting material from which the dividers are made and
the treatment of the dividers to heat and cold which will be
described in more detail later.
[0168] At each end of the panel 200 along the open ends of the
cellular dividers 208, a unique clip 218 as seen best in FIGS.
81-86, is secured to the panel. The clips are elongated and
preferably extruded members of a rigid material such as aluminum,
plastic, or the like and are generally of inverted J-shaped
configuration as probably best seen in FIG. 82. They therefore
define a vertical main flat body 220 with a lower protruding lip
222 from the bottom edge of the main body. An upper downwardly
opening hook-shaped channel 224 extends from the upper edge of the
main body. Also along the upper edge is formed a second or
horizontally opening hook-shaped channel 226 which protrudes from
the main body in the opposite direction as the lip 222. An
obliquely protruding rib 228 extends downwardly from the upper edge
of the main body beneath the horizontally opening channel 226.
[0169] With reference to FIGS. 92-95, the clip 218 is secured to
the end of the panel 200 either by notching the end of the panel,
as described previously, so that the outer sheet 204 protrudes
longitudinally from opposite ends of the panel or the outer sheet
can be made slightly longer and wider than the remainder of the
panel so that it naturally protrudes from opposite ends and
opposite sides as shown in FIGS. 87 and 92 defining outer sheet
longitudinal extensions 230 and outer sheet lateral extension 232.
An elongated straight stiffening strip 234, which might be made of
plastic, aluminum, paperboard, or the like, is adhesively bonded to
the top surface of the outer sheet longitudinal extension 230 where
it protrudes from the ends of the panel and clips are thereafter
positioned over the outer sheet longitudinal extensions and the
stiffeners as shown in FIG. 94 by inserting the stiffener strips
and outer sheet longitudinal extensions into the downwardly opening
J-shaped channels 224 adjacent to the main bodies with the lip 222
hanging over the innermost edge of the stiffeners. With the clips
so positioned, the outer sheet longitudinal extensions 230,
stiffener 234 and clip 218 can be folded upwardly as shown in FIG.
95 until the connector sheet 206 at opposite ends of the panel is
received between the horizontally opening J-shape channels 226 and
the oblique ribs 228 of clips. The underside of the horizontally
opening J-shaped channels 226 can then be adhesively or otherwise
secured to the connector sheet 206 to hold the clip in the position
illustrated in FIG. 95.
[0170] The oblique rib 228 of each clip projects beneath the
connector sheet 206 so as to hold the panel in a fully expanded
position. By following the same procedure at each longitudinal end
of the panel, it will be appreciated that each panel will have a
clip thereon and the horizontally opening J-shaped channels 226 are
positioned to be secured to a flange of the T-shaped support member
60 as shown in FIGS. 84 and 85.
[0171] An alternative way for securing a J-shaped clip to ends of
the panel is shown in FIGS. 92A-95A. In the alternative system, at
an open longitudinal end of a panel, a cut or slit is made
downwardly through the connector sheet 206 and the open ends of the
dividers 208 as shown in FIG. 92A, so as to define a slight gap
between the severed portions of the connector sheet and the
dividers and the remainder of the panel. The connector sheet and
dividers are then compressed downwardly into closely adjacent
relationship with the outer sheet 204 and this compressed material
is then inserted into the downwardly opening J-shaped channels 224
of the clip so that the lip 222 of the clip hangs over the
innermost edge of the compressed material, as shown in FIG. 94A.
The clip with the compressed material confined therein is then
folded upwardly as shown in FIG. 95A and secured in position,
preferably with adhesive so as to define a longitudinal end of a
panel.
[0172] As illustrated in FIG. 83, the ends of the horizontally
opening J-shaped channels 226 are spaced inwardly from opposite
longitudinal ends of the clip 218 to accommodate a T-shaped support
member 60 that extends perpendicularly to the T-shaped support
member 60 to which the clip is secured. In this manner, the panels
can be supported by a conventional gridwork of T-shaped support
members in a suspended rather than supported manner with or without
another set of acoustical tiles being supported by the gridwork. In
other words, the panels 200 with the clips 218 secured thereto can
be used in connection with an existing gridwork or in connection
with a new gridwork in exactly the same manner. As will also be
appreciated, the clips of adjacent longitudinally aligned panels
can abut each other (FIG. 85) so the ends of the outer sheets of
the panels are only slightly spaced to give a substantially
continuous appearance to the ceiling with virtually no view of the
gridwork from which the panels are suspended. Further, due to the
fact that the clips hold the panels in their fully expanded
position, the lower or outer sheet 204 of each panel will be
horizontally aligned with the outer sheet of an adjacent panel to
give a smooth uniform appearance to a ceiling formed from such
panels. Referring to FIGS. 87-91, the outer sheet lateral
extensions 232 can be folded up into engagement with the adjacent
sidewall 214 of the outermost divider and secured thereto with a
suitable adhesive to give the panel a finished look along its side
edges.
[0173] Sometimes it might be desirable to fold a panel around a
corner or to form a corner. With the panel of the present
invention, such a fold or corner can be made in an aesthetically
attractive manner as illustrated in FIGS. 97 and 98. It will be
seen in FIG. 97 that a divider 208 including the connector sheet
206 across the top thereof can be severed from the remainder of the
panel at the location where a fold or bend is desired in the panel
leaving the outer sheet 204 where the divider was removed. The
remaining portions of the panel can be folded in one direction or
the other as illustrated in FIG. 98 so that one remainder portion
of the panel is oriented perpendicularly to the other portion with
the outer sheet 204 extending continuously around the bend so as to
define a fully finished corner for the panel. Such a fold in the
panel might be desirable, for example, in a skylight where a window
is raised above the ceiling level into an upwardly recessed area
and by following the procedure shown in FIGS. 97 and 98, a panel or
panels can be folded to extend from the normal ceiling level up
into the recessed area of the skylight.
[0174] As mentioned previously, the preferred material from which
the dividers are made includes glass fibers and a mixture of a
thermoset resin and a thermoplastic resin. The material so formed
wants to remain in a flat planar orientation even after having been
creased and folded as described previously into the configuration
of the divider as illustrated for example in FIGS. 89-91. In order
to retain the folded configuration with the side walls 214 of each
divider folded inwardly, the panel 200 over a long period of time
needs to be held in at least some compression or the folded side
walls will fold outwardly in an effort to return to the flat planar
orientation. Of course, the dividers cannot return to the flat
planar orientation as they are secured along the top and bottom to
the outer sheet 204 and connector sheet 206 but the side walls will
over some period of time try to straighten out if not held in
compression and when doing so, pass from their inwardly folded
orientation of FIG. 89 to their outwardly folded orientation of
FIG. 88 wherein the side walls abut the side walls of adjacent
dividers thereby being mutually reinforced and rigidifying the
panel so that it is virtually incompressible. A panel in its
substantially incompressible condition is shown in FIG. 96. In
other words, to maintain the compressible nature of a completed
panel, the sidewalls need to be folded inwardly as shown in FIGS.
89-91.
[0175] The strips of material from which the dividers 208 are made
are folded in an unheated environment and a hot melt adhesive is
applied to the strips or to the outer sheet 204 and connector sheet
206 before they are laminated together. As mentioned previously,
unless the panels 200 are maintained in a compressed configuration
such as illustrated in FIGS. 89-91, they will, over some period of
time, expand into the configuration of FIG. 88 in which
configuration the panel is no longer compressible. This time period
over which it takes for the dividers to convert from the
configuration of FIGS. 89-91 to the configuration of FIG. 88 is
dependent upon a number of factors including the resin used in the
material from which the dividers are made and also whether or not
heat is applied to the material while the dividers are in the
compressed configuration of FIGS. 89-91. By adding heat to the
dividers while they are compressed, the time period it takes for
them to expand into the configuration of FIG. 88 is lengthened.
Also, by increasing the percent of thermoplastic resin used in the
formation of the material from which the dividers are made, the
time in which it takes for the dividers to transform from the
configuration of FIG. 89 to the configuration of FIG. 88 can be
increased. By way of example, the time period for the
transformation may be varied anywhere from 15 minutes to 32
hours.
[0176] Accordingly, when the panels 200 are formed and shipped,
they are desirably shipped in a compressed state so that a
relatively large number of panels can be packed and shipped in a
relatively small container particularly in comparison to
conventional acoustical tiles of a fixed depth, i.e., a depth
similar to the fully expanded depth of a panel 200 in accordance
with the present invention. Once the panels are removed from the
shipping container, however, they expand immediately from the
configuration shown in FIG. 91 through the configuration shown in
FIG. 90 to the configuration shown in FIG. 89. They will remain in
the configuration of FIG. 89 for the above-noted time period after
which they will transform into the configuration shown in FIG. 88
where the panel becomes incompressible. During that time period,
the panels can be cut to their desired shape and installed in a
supporting grid system before the panels become substantially
incompressible. They can therefore be flexed for easy insertion
into the openings defined between support members in the supporting
grid system if inserted before becoming incompressible.
[0177] As mentioned previously, panels formed in accordance with
the present invention have desired acoustical properties and can be
varied according to various parameters. In comparing one embodiment
of the present invention with conventional acoustical tiles, one
can see the acoustical benefit obtained from a panel formed in
accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 99, a graph
comparing the panel of FIG. 14 of the present invention with other
acoustical tiles is illustrated. The X-axis references frequency in
hertz while the Y-axis references a noise reduction coefficient.
The three panels compared to the panel formed in accordance with
FIG. 14 of the present invention are a hard mineral acoustical tile
panel manufactured by Armstrong under the trademark "Cirrus," a
glass fiber tile of two-inch thickness manufactured by Ecophon of
Sweden under the trademark "Focus," and a 0.7 mm metal panel with
perforations and an overlying sheet of a non-woven fleece
manufactured by Hunter Douglas of Rotterdam, Holland, under the
designation Luxalon 300C.
[0178] As can be seen, the acoustical panel of FIG. 14 performs
superiorly to the three compared panels at lower frequencies as
well as at fairly high frequencies and performs comparably at
intermediate frequencies.
[0179] Although the present invention has been described with a
certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present
disclosure has been made by way of example, and changes in detail
or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *