U.S. patent number 3,782,495 [Application Number 05/260,852] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-01 for ceiling tile.
Invention is credited to Martin Nassof.
United States Patent |
3,782,495 |
Nassof |
January 1, 1974 |
CEILING TILE
Abstract
A substantially square frame made of wire is covered on one side
or both sides with a skin of metal foil or thin metal sheet,
preferably aluminum, or thin plastic film. The skin is secured on
the frame by adhesive means, such as heat sealing. The surface of
the skin may be treated by wrinkling, embossing, perforating,
printing, coloring or other suitable decorating process. The thus
obtained lightweight tile is usable for decorating ceilings, either
suspended below or in conjunction with sound absorbing materials
such as glass fiber or mineral wool.
Inventors: |
Nassof; Martin (Oceanside,
NY) |
Family
ID: |
22990897 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/260,852 |
Filed: |
June 8, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/284; 52/144;
428/152; D25/163; 181/291 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
66/1122 (20130101); E04B 9/0457 (20130101); E04B
9/0428 (20130101); B29C 66/5346 (20130101); B29C
65/48 (20130101); B29K 2027/06 (20130101); B29K
2023/06 (20130101); B29K 2067/003 (20130101); B29L
2007/008 (20130101); B29C 66/71 (20130101); B29C
66/71 (20130101); B29L 2012/00 (20130101); B29C
66/71 (20130101); E04B 2009/0492 (20130101); B29C
65/4815 (20130101); B29C 66/71 (20130101); Y10T
428/24446 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B29C
65/48 (20060101); E04B 9/04 (20060101); E04b
001/82 (); E04b 005/52 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/33R,33G,33GA
;52/144,145,222 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,091,635 |
|
Apr 1955 |
|
FR |
|
891,914 |
|
Mar 1962 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Wilkinson; Richard B.
Assistant Examiner: Gonzales; John F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sparrow; Mark H.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A ceiling tile comprising a substantially rectangular wire frame
and a skin, said skin having its edges extending beyond said frame
when said frame is laid upon the top face of said skin, said edges
being folded over said frame and attached to the top face of said
skin by adhesive means, whereby said skin is secured over said
frame.
2. A ceiling tile according to claim 1, wherein said skin comprises
aluminum foil.
3. A ceiling tile according to claim 1, wherein said skin comprises
a substantially thin sheet of lightweight metal.
4. A ceiling tile according to claim 2, wherein said aluminum foil
is textured.
5. A ceiling tile according to claim 1, wherein said skin comprises
plastic film.
6. A ceiling tile according to claim 5 wherein said adhesive means
is a heat seal.
7. A ceiling tile according to claim 1, wherein said skin has
perforations.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates, generally, to material for ceilings and more
particular to a thin, lightweight, decorative ceiling tile.
Ceiling tiles for various purposes are known in the art, such as
sound absorbing, so-called acoustic tiles, and decorative tiles in
square and rectangular shapes, usually made of relatively soft,
fibrous material. Other ceiling material in the form of perforated
or unperforated metal tiles or panels are known, for suspending
so-called "hung" ceilings below the actual ceiling structure of a
building. to reduce the height of a room. Tiles of the kind
described usually consist of sheets of light materials with various
smooth-surface finishes achieved by painting, anodizing or by
enameling, which are also moisture and combustion resistant.
However, certain specific qualities and properties of ceiling tiles
in the known art are lacking, such as attractiveness, lightness of
weight, economy of manufacture, ease of application and
installation, and a minimum of bulk, and combining some of these
properties to produce a ceiling tile having acoustical and light
diffusing properties. It is intended by the present invention to
overcome the aforementioned shortcomings.
SUMMARY
The invention consists of such novel features, construction
arrangements, combination of parts and improvements as may be shown
and described in connection with the articles disclosed by way of
examples only and as illustrative of preferred embodiments. The
basic idea of the invention is to attain a thin, lightweight
ceiling tile which is constructed by attaching a skin of metal foil
or thin sheet metal, or of plastic film to a frame made of wire by
suitable or convenient adhesive means. New and unexpected surface
effects can be obtained by wrinkling the metal foil or by treating
the plastic film by matting, coating, printing, dyeing, shading or
tinting. It is obvious that the cover of the frames can be
perforated for sound-reducing purposes. The tiles thus obtained can
be installed in any known manner such as, for example, by an
exposed grid T system.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part
hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by
practicing the invention, the same being realized and attained by
means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the
appended claims.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin
lightweight ceiling tile which consists basically of a wire frame
and of a substantially thin, pliable skin attached thereto.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a ceiling tile
with a metal surface which can be wrinkled for decorative
purposes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a ceiling tile with a
plastic surface which can be transparent, translucent, opaque, or
otherwise decoratively treated.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a substantially
thin ceiling tile comprising a skin of metal foil or thin
lightweight metal sheet, which is perforated for acoustic
purposes.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a
ceiling tile which is formed by a bag of suitable material enclosed
around a frame which would form an air blanket with acoustical
properties.
Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide ceiling
tiles which may be used alone or in conjunction with
sound-absorbing materials such as glass fiber or mineral wool.
Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages
will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken
in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of
this specification and illustrates merely by way of example
embodiments of the article of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the following description and in the claims, parts will be
identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are
intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as
the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in
the several figures of the drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a room with a ceiling consisting of
ceiling tiles according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a ceiling tile according to the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the tile in FIG. 2 taken along the
line 3--3 in FIG. 2, showin in an enlarged scale;
FIG. 4 is a cross-section of another embodiment of the tile shown
in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 5 is a section, broken away, of another embodiment of the tile
shown in FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now in more detail to the drawing illustrating preferred
embodiments by which the invention may be realized, there is a
suspended tile ceiling 10 in a room 11, as shown in FIG. 1. A tile
12 of ceiling 10 is shown in FIG. 2. It consists of a frame 13,
made of wire, over which a thin skin 14 is applied. The edges of
skin 14 are wrapped around the wire of frame 13 and are secured by
adhesive means, such as, for example, by heat sealing or by
adhesive tape 15. It is understood that any suitable adhesive may
be used. Skin 14 is preferably made of aluminum foil but a thin
sheet of aluminum or other metal or a thin plastic film may be
used. The surface of the skin 14, when it is metal, may remain
smooth and bright, but lends itself to being textured, which gives
an unusual decorative appearance. Skin 14 may be a thin plastic
film for example, polyvinyl chloride, mylar or polyethylene, the
surface of which can be subjected to every possible decorative
treatment, such as tinting, rendering opaque, printing, coloring,
matting, or the like.
Skin 14 may be perforated in a suitable pattern so that tile 12 may
be used for acoustical purposes. When skin 14 is perforated, sound
absorbing material, such as glass fiber batts or mineral wool 18
would be used behind tile 12, as shown in FIG. 5, The single layer
skin 14 may be substituted by surrounding frame 13 with a bag 17
made from similar materials, closed at one end and having the other
end secured at one end of frame 13 by heat sealing 15a or other
suitable adhesive means. The resulting tile may then be subjected
to heat shrinking to make bag 17 taught. This structure provides a
tile 12 (FIG. 4) which has an air space between upper layer 17a and
lower layer 17b, thus creating an air blanket with acoustical
properties.
The tiles made in accordance with the present invention may be
installed in the conventional manner. They may be installed in an
exposed grid T system, concealed grid system or any other suitable
system.
While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect
to certain preferred examples which give satisfactory results, it
will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding
the principle of the invention, that various other changes and
modifications may be made without department from the spirit of the
invention.
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