Panel system and support member for use with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10844591-B2
Application number	US-201916675481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 23, 2016
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A building panel system is provided that includes a perimeter frame; a main beam attached to the perimeter frame; a carrier attached to the main beam, the carrier having a plurality of identical hook members, each of the hook members having a protruding hooking portion on only a first side of the hook member, and a non-hooking portion on a second side of the hook member, the second side being opposite the first side; and a plurality of panels removably attached to the carrier, each of the panels being attached to the carrier by engaging one of the hooking portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A building panel system comprising:
a main beam;
a carrier attached to the main beam, the carrier having a longitudinal direction and a plurality of hook members spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, each of the hook members comprising:
a distal end;
a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side and the second side being arranged relative to each other along the longitudinal direction of the carrier; and
a hooking portion on the first side, the hooking portion comprising a first ledge located a first distance from the distal end and a second ledge located a second distance from the distal end, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and

a plurality of panels removably attached to the carrier, each of the panels having a first end portion engaging the first ledge of a first one of the hooking portions of a first one of the hook members and a second end portion engaging the second ledge of a second one of the hooking portions of a second one of the hook members.

2. The building panel system of claim 1 , wherein the hook members are spaced apart by a distance d, wherein one of the panels extends in the longitudinal direction at least a distance D, where D is X times as large as d, and wherein X is an integer that is equal to or greater than 2.

3. The building panel system of claim 2 , wherein d equals two inches.

4. The building panel system of claim 1 , wherein the panels are ceiling panels or wall panels.

5. The building panel system of claim 1 , wherein each of the hook members is L-shaped, the second side of each of the hook members comprises a vertical wall extending from a main body of the carrier in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the second side of the hook members being free of any notches or ledges, and wherein each of the panels comprises a riser portion in abutment with the vertical wall of one of the hook members that is adjacent to the second one of the hook members.

6. The building panel system of claim 1 , wherein the second end portion of each of the panels is opposite the first end portion along the longitudinal direction of the carrier, the first end portion of each of the panels including an engagement portion, and the second end portion of each of the panels extending along the longitudinal direction of the carrier.

7. The building panel system of claim 6 , wherein the hooking portion of each of the hook members has a notch that is configured to engage the engagement portion of one of the panels.

8. The building panel system of 6 , wherein each of the hook members includes a wall opposite to the hooking portion, the wall contacting a rising portion of one of the panels, the rising portion being closer to the second end portion than the first end portion.

9. The building panel system of claim 1 , wherein the carrier has two parallel rows of the hook members, and wherein all of the hook members are structurally identical to one another.

10. The building panel system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an end panel bracket comprising:
a notch configured to engage a portion of a peripheral edge of the second end portion of a first panel of the plurality of panels such that the portion of the peripheral edge nests within the notch to prevent movement of the first panel in the longitudinal direction of the carrier, the first panel having its first end portion cut off; and
a ledge configured to contact an inside surface of the first end portion of a second panel of the plurality of panels to support the second panel to prevent movement of the second panel in the longitudinal direction of the carrier, the second panel having its second end cut off,

wherein the end panel bracket is attached directly to the carrier.

11. The building panel system of claim 1 wherein all of the hook members of the carrier have an identical shape.

12. A building panel system comprising:
a main beam;
a carrier attached to the main beam, the carrier having a longitudinal direction and a plurality of hook members arranged along the longitudinal direction, each of the hook members comprising:
a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side and the second side being arranged relative to each other along the longitudinal direction of the carrier;
a hooking portion on the first side; and
a vertical wall on the second side; and

a plurality of panels removably attached to the carrier, each of the panels comprising a second riser portion in engagement with the vertical wall of a first one of the hook members and a second end portion extending from the second riser portion in the longitudinal direction and being in engagement with the hooking portion of a second one of the hook members that is adjacent to the first one of the hook members.

13. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein each of the panels comprises a first riser portion and a first end portion extending from the first riser portion in the longitudinal direction towards the second riser portion, the first end portion being in engagement with the hooking portion of a third one of the hook members, and wherein the first one of the hook members is located between the second and third ones of the hook members in the longitudinal direction.

14. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of panels has a first end portion opposite the second end portion along the longitudinal direction of the carrier, the first end portion comprising an engagement portion that extends at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the carrier.

15. The building panel system of claim 14 , wherein the hooking portion of each of the hook members has a notch that engages the engagement portion of one of the panels.

16. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein the hook members are spaced every two inches along the carrier.

17. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein the carrier has two parallel rows of the hook members.

18. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein each of the panels has a first end portion and the second end portion, the building panel system further comprising an end panel bracket, the end panel bracket comprising:
a notch configured to engage a portion of a peripheral edge of the second end portion of a first panel of the plurality of panels such that the portion of the peripheral edge nests within the notch to prevent movement of the first panel in the longitudinal direction of the carrier, a first end portion of the first panel being cut off; and
a ledge configured to contact an inside surface of the first end portion of a second panel of the plurality of panels to support the second panel and prevent movement of the second panel in the longitudinal direction of the carrier, the second panel having its second end cut off;
wherein the end panel bracket is attached directly to the carrier.

19. The building panel system of claim 12 , wherein the panels are ceiling panels or wall panels.

Assignees

• Armstrong World Ind Inc
• Awi Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Harnish Scott D
• Bergman Todd M
• Hanuschak Ryan D
• Van Dore Jonathan P

Classifications

• E04F13/083 Primary

  Hooking means on the back side of the covering elements · CPC title

• E04B9/061

  supporting construction for curved ceilings · CPC title

• E04B9/26

  by means of snap action of elastically deformable elements {held against the underside of the supporting construction} · CPC title

• E04B2001/2481

  Details of wall panels · CPC title

• E04B2/721

  connections specially adapted therefor · CPC title