Method of installing a set of ceiling panels

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of installing a set of ceiling panels to a basic ceiling by use of a supporting grid, said set of ceiling panels includes at least three substantially rectangular panels. The method includes establishing and attaching a supporting grid to the basic ceiling, said supporting grid being established by mounting two or more carrier profiles and two or more support profiles to each to provide a grid of at least one rectangle; installing the set of ceiling panels in the carrying grid by applying said ceiling panels in side by side relationship with each other in the rectangle of the grid, so that each panel is supported by support flanges on the supporting profiles, and a first and a second panel are supported by one or more support flanges of one of the carrier profiles constituting the edges of the rectangle. The invention also includes a set of ceiling panels and methods for installing a suspended ceiling.

Patent claims:  
     
         1 . A method of installing a set of ceiling panels to a basic ceiling by use of a supporting grid, said set of ceiling panels includes at least three substantially rectangular panels having a width similar to each other, the sum of the length of each panel of the set of ceiling panels being defined as the total length of the set of ceiling panels, said method comprising the following steps: 
 i) establishing and attaching a supporting grid to the basic ceiling, said supporting grid being established by mounting two or more carrier profiles and two or more support profiles to each other, said two or more carrier profiles being substantially parallel to each other and said two or more support profiles being substantially parallel to each other and being substantially perpendicular to said two or more carrier profiles, to thereby provide a grid of at least one rectangle, said profiles constituting the edges of said rectangle comprise support flanges protruding into said rectangle in a plane defined by said rectangle toward the opposite parallel profile, the number and size of said flanges being sufficient to support the set of ceiling panels, the length of said rectangle defined as the distance between the two carrier profiles constituting opposite edges of said rectangle inclusive the protruding length of the flanges protruding into said rectangle in a plane defined by said rectangle being substantially equal to the total length of the set of ceiling panels, and the width of said rectangle defined as the distance between the two support profiles constituting opposite edges of said rectangle including the protruding length of the flanges protruding into said rectangle in a plane defined by said rectangle being substantially equal to the width of said ceiling panels,    ii) installing the set of ceiling panels in the carrying grid by applying said ceiling panels in side by side relationship with each other in the rectangle of the grid, so that each panel engages with and is supported by support flanges on the two supporting profiles constituting opposite edges of said rectangle, and one of said panels designated as the first end panel engages with and is supported by one or more support flanges of one of the carrier profiles constituting the edges of the rectangle, and a second of said panels designated as the second end panel engages with and is supported by one or more support flanges of the other of the carrier profiles constituting the edges of the rectangle.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said panels have four edges, each of the four edges having an upper portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface facing the basic ceiling and a lower portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface facing away from the basic ceiling, said edges being in pairs two and two parallel to each other CHARACTERIZED in that the first and the third of said edges being parallel and substantially identically shaped with a groove substantially in the middle of the edges in the longitudinal direction, said grooves being brought to surround one or more of the support flanges protruding from the profiles and said grooves having a depth substantially equal to the width of a support flange.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to claims  1  and  2 , CHARACTERIZED in that a second and a fourth edge of said panel being parallel with each other, said second edge being formed with a groove substantially in the middle of the edge in the longitudinal direction and said groove having a depth substantially equal to the width of a support flange of the support profile and below said groove an extended protruding lip is formed in the longitudinal direction on the lower half portion of the edge, said lip having a width sufficiently large to conceal the support profile when viewed from below, preferably substantially equal to twice the width of the support flange, as said groove is brought to surround the one or more parts of the support flange.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claims 1  to  3 , CHARACTERIZED in that a first edge of the first end panel and a third edge of the second end panel are formed with a groove substantially in the middle of the edge in the longitudinal direction, and said groove having a depth substantially equal to the width of a support flange on the carrier profile, and below said groove a protruding lip is formed in the longitudinal direction on the lower half portion of the edge, said lip having a width substantially equal to the width of the support flange and said grooves being brought to surround the one or more parts of the support flange and optionally conceal half of the carrier profile when viewed from below.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to claims  2 ,  3  or  4 , CHARACTERIZED in that said forth edge is formed with a protruding lip in the longitudinal direction on the upper half portion of the edge, said protrusion having a width substantially equal to the width of the support flange.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claims 1  to  5 , CHARACTERIZED in that said set of ceiling panels is installed in said rectangle of the supporting grid so that the support flanges are concealed in the grooves or by the protruding lips on the edges of said set of ceiling panels.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that the ceiling panels are substantially shaped as quadrangles  
     
     
         8 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that said supporting grid is fixed in a substantially horizontal position with a distance from 3,5 to 350 cm from the ceiling, preferably from 10 to 150 cm.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a first edge of one or more of the panels beyond the first end panel and/or a third edge of one or more of the panels beyond the second end panel being formed with a groove substantially in the middle of the edge in the longitudinal direction, and said method further comprising the step of applying a stiffening profile or an equidistance profile in one or more of said grooves, wherein said stiffening profile being formed with a L-profile and having a length of up to the width of the panels, and said equidistance profile being formed as a stiffening profile and further being provided with connecting flanges or snap-lock for connecting the equidistance profile to the two support profiles supporting the panel into which groove the equidistance profile is inserted.  
     
     
         10 . A set of ceiling panels in combination with a supporting grid for use in the method according to  claims 1  to  9 , said set of panel includes at least three panels, in which each ceiling panel of said set of panels has two identical opposing edges and two non-identical opposing edges, said two identical opposing edges being formed with a groove in the longitudinal direction and said two opposing non-identical edges being formed so the one edge poses a protrusion from an upper portion of the edge and the other edge poses an protrusion from the lower portion of the edge below a groove in the longitudinal direction of the edge, and said supporting grid being obtainable by mounting two or more carrier profiles and two or more support profiles to each other, wherein said two or more carrier profiles are substantially parallel to each other and said two or more support profiles are substantially parallel to each other and are substantially perpendicular to said two or more carrier profiles, to thereby provide a grid of at least one rectangle.  
     
     
         11 . A method of installing a suspended ceiling comprising the steps of installing one or more sets of ceiling panels to a basic ceiling according to any one of claims  1 - 9 , said method further comprises the step of installing one or more secondary sets of ceiling panels, wherein each secondary set of panels includes two substantially rectangular panels having a width similar to each other, the sum of the length of the two panels of the secondary set of ceiling panels being defined as the total length of the set of ceiling panels, said method comprising the following steps: 
 i) establishing, and attaching a supporting grid to the basic ceiling as defined in  claim 1 , wherein one secondary rectangle having an open side is provided by said profiles for each secondary set of panels to be installed, each secondary open rectangle being provided by a first profile and two second profiles, the first profile being a carrier profile or a support profile, the second profiles being the opposite profile types to the first profile, the profiles constituting the edges of each of said secondary open rectangles comprising support flanges protruding into said rectangle in a plane defined by said rectangle, the number and size of said flanges being sufficient to support the secondary set of ceiling panels, the length of said secondary rectangle defined as the length of one of the second profiles determined from its contact point with the first profile to its termination at the open end of the secondary rectangle including the protruding length of the flanges protruding into said secondary rectangle in a plane defined by said secondary rectangle from said second profile being substantially equal to the total length of the secondary set of ceiling panels, and the width of said secondary rectangle defined as the distance between the two second profiles constituting opposite edges of said secondary rectangle including the protruding length of the flanges protruding from said second profiles into said secondary rectangle in a plane defined by said secondary rectangle being substantially equal to the width of said secondary ceiling panels,    ii) installing each secondary set of ceiling panels in the carrying grid by applying said secondary ceiling panels in side by side relationship with each other in the secondary rectangle of the grid, so that each panel engages with and is supported by support flanges on the two second profiles constituting opposite edges of said rectangle, and one of said panels designated as the first end panel engages with and is supported by one or more support flanges of the first profile constituting the edges of the rectangle,    iii) closing said one or more open secondary rectangles by attaching a further profile to the terminating ends of the second profiles.    
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11  wherein said two secondary panels of a secondary set of profiles each has four edges having an upper portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface-facing the basic ceiling and a lower portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface facing away from the basic ceiling, each of the secondary panels comprises at least two edges each having a protruding lip in its lower portion extending substantially along the whole length of the edge, the protruding length of the respective lips in combination with the similar lips of other panels installed in the grid being adapted to the grid system so that the lips cover the grid and thereby make the grid concealed when viewed from below, when the suspended ceiling is installed.  
     
     
         13 . A method of installing a suspended ceiling comprising the steps of installing one or more sets of ceiling panels to a basic ceiling using a method according to any one of claims  1 - 9  and  11 - 12 , said method further comprises the step of installing one or more tertiary ceiling panels, wherein each tertiary panel having a width and a length, said method comprises the following steps: 
 i) establishing and attaching a supporting grid to the basic ceiling as defined in claims  1  or  10 , wherein one tertiary rectangle having an open side is provided by said profiles for each tertiary panel to be installed, each tertiary open rectangle being provided by a first profile and two second profiles, the profiles constituting the edges of each of said tertiary open rectangles comprise support flanges protruding into said rectangle in a plane defined by said rectangle, the number and size of said flanges being sufficient to support the tertiary set of ceiling panels, the length of said tertiary rectangle being defined as the length of one the second profiles determined from its contact point with the first profile to its termination at the open end of the tertiary rectangle including the protruding length of the flanges protruding into said tertiary rectangle in a plane defined by said tertiary rectangle from said second profile, being substantially equal to the total length of the tertiary panel, and the width of said tertiary rectangle being defined as the distance between the two second profiles constituting opposite edges of said tertiary rectangle including the protruding length of the flanges protruding from said second profiles into said tertiary rectangle in a plane defined by said secondary rectangle being substantially equal to the width of said tertiary panel,  
 ii) installing each tertiary panel in the carrying grid by applying said tertiary ceiling panels in the tertiary rectangle of the grid, so that the panel engages with and is supported by support flanges on the three profiles constituting the edges of said rectangle, and  
 iii) closing said one or more open tertiary rectangles by attaching a further profile to the terminating ends of the second profiles.  
 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 13 , wherein each of said tertiary panel has an upper portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface facing the basic ceiling and a lower portion defined as the part of the edge being closest to the surface facing away from the basic ceiling, each of the tertiary panels comprising at least two edges each having a protruding lip in its lower portion extending substantially along the whole length of the edge, the protruding length of the respective lips in combination with the similar lips of other panels installed in the grid being adapted to the grid system so that the lips cover the grid and thereby make the grid concealed when viewed from below when the suspended ceiling is installed.