JP2003531325A - Compressible structural panel - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A structural panel used for a building or for forming, finishing, or decorating the same includes an outer sheet and a connector sheet, and includes a plurality of crushable or compressible dividers therebetween. It is provided and configured. The panel in the abandoned position is expanded and has the desired thickness for end use, but can be compressed to a relatively thin thickness or profile during transport. The panels are very lightweight but structurally strong and can be selectively bent in some lateral direction as needed. The panels can be easily cut or formed to predetermined dimensions or shapes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A structural panel expected to be used as a ceiling panel or a wall panel is provided with an outer sheet in which a plurality of dividers protrudes from one surface at intervals, and a divider provided in parallel with the outer sheet and at an interval. A connector sheet or the like that joins together along the side remote from the outer sheet. When applied with pressure, the divider can be compressed for at least a certain period of time, and the thickness of the panel can be reduced if necessary, for example, during transportation.

[0002]

[Prior art]

This application is related to US Provisional Patent Application No. 60/199208 filed on April 24, 2000.
The benefits of the issue are claimed, and the provisional application is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Structural panels used to finish or decorate a building can take a variety of forms, from drywall to decorative or acoustic ceiling panels. While having distinctly different properties, such panels have a number of drawbacks in terms of weight, transport, lack of aesthetic or acoustic versatility, and the like.

Some of these panels are used in a suspended ceiling system in which, for example, a rectangular opening is defined by a lattice-shaped workpiece composed of an inverted T-shaped support member, and an acoustic panel or the like is fitted therein. is there.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Such an acoustic panel usually has high rigidity and is somewhat brittle. As a result, they are difficult to insert into or remove from the supporting grid work and are often easily scratched during such processing. Further, since the ceiling panel is relatively heavy and has a fixed thickness, the size during transportation is the same as the size during mounting. In transit, the cost per square foot of such panels is relatively high due to their weight and bulk.

The dry wall is also relatively heavy and difficult to handle, and the dimension during transportation is the same as the dimension during mounting. Therefore, the transportation cost of the dry wall is relatively high. From the above it can be seen that structural panels used in the construction, finishing and decoration of buildings suffer from a number of drawbacks. Therefore, it can be said that a panel that eliminates such drawbacks is desirable.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The structural panels of the present invention can be used in a wide variety of applications, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure. However, basically,
The panel typically includes an outer sheet of semi-rigid material with a plurality of dividers protruding from one side. A connector, which takes the form of a sheet or similar means, is secured to the distal edge of the divider. The connector may be in the form of a sheet of another material, a strand of connecting fibers, or the like.

Although the divider has a crushable property, it can take various forms. In some described embodiments, the divider is an elongated cell that is collapsible on the sides and that collapses when the cell is subjected to horizontal or lateral pressure in a predetermined direction. Is becoming shallower. The divider may be formed by folding a strip of semi-rigid material so that the lateral sides or dividers fold inward or outward when the divider is laterally compressed. Dividers are typically made to assume a predetermined shape in an expanded or stretched position and are elastic to return to that shape after being compressed. The divider is fixed to the outer sheet and the connector so as to maintain their relative position with respect to the connector.

As will be appreciated, when the panel is formed in this manner, the panel assumes an expanded shape in the normal undisturbed state, but when pressure is applied to the outer sheet or connector, the divider is crushed and the entire panel is crushed. The thickness or outline of the can be very thin. This is, of course, very advantageous for transport, since it allows more containers to be accommodated in the container than panels according to the prior art which have the same thickness during transport and during use. The panel is also largely air-filled and therefore very lightweight.

As will be understood from the more detailed description below, this panel is
Although it can be bent in at least one direction to facilitate installation on a suspended ceiling or the like, it is elastic so as to return to a normal state when left standing. Moreover, the panel is not brittle and will not easily break. Moreover, the panel can be cut to a given size and / or shape very easily.

A decorative sheet may be placed on the outer sheet of the panel, the connector sheet or the like to give the panel a desired aesthetic appearance. For example, wood veneer, vinyl, patterned or molded paper, colored paper, thin metal, polyester, other synthetic materials, cloth, non-woven fabric,
A sheet such as can be placed on top to give the panel the desired appearance in use. Further, the panel may be lined with or wrapped with a metal foil to alter the properties of the panel.

Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in connection with the drawings and further from the content of the appended claims. .

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The compressible structural panel 50 of the present invention has a plurality of crushable, ideally parallel dividers or beams 52, as best seen in FIGS. 1-12, with an outer sheet 54 (not visible in FIG. 1). And a connector sheet 56. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the decorative sheet 58 can be placed face-to-face with respect to the outer sheet 54. As will be described in more detail below, the panel can be compressed from the normal expanded state shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 to a fully crushed or compressed state as shown in FIG. The panel is also designed to be bendable in one lateral direction, as will be explained in more detail below, but it can also be rigid so that it does not bend in any direction. In addition, the panel will be largely light and easy to handle as it will be composed mostly of air.

The panel 50 has many possible uses in a building, and can be used as, for example, a wall panel, a fixed ceiling panel, a suspended ceiling panel, or the like. As will be appreciated from the following description, panels of various sizes can be made, even those that are significantly larger than those conventionally used in buildings.
The present disclosure will be described using a conventional size panel for a suspended ceiling as shown in FIG.

In a typical suspended ceiling system, an elongated inverted T is typically used, as shown in FIGS.
A grid-like workpiece consisting of a V-shaped support member is hung from the ceiling to form a rectangular opening 62 and the ceiling tile or panel 50 is placed on a peripheral support edge 64 around the opening. There is. Conventional ceiling panels are inflexible or inflexible and are difficult to insert into the rectangular openings 62, and the panels are fragile and are often damaged or broken during insertion. The panel of the present invention, as will be understood in the following description, is inherently bendable, which facilitates its insertion into the rectangular opening of a suspended ceiling system and, once assembled, exhibits the desired flat flat shape. Like

As may be best understood by looking at FIG. 12, the divider 52 comprises a separate strip 6
6 (FIG. 44) material is pre-folded and folded into a desired shape.
When incorporated in the panel 50, it can be crushed in the lateral direction, and the panel can be compressed as needed. The divider has connector sheet 5 along its top.
6 and fixed to the outer sheet 54 along its bottom portion, the connection preferably being made with an adhesive 68, but one skilled in the art will appreciate that other methods may be used to connect these components. It will be obvious. The outer sheet includes a decorative sheet 5 in a face-to-face relationship.
The decorative sheet 58 is exposed to the inside of the structure in which the panel is incorporated by adhering 8 or fixing it by some method. The sheets are fixed, glued,
It can be defined as one or more structural pieces of material that are welded or otherwise joined to form a large expanding surface. The material of the decorative sheet may be any material, such as real or synthetic wood, vinyl, patterned or molded paper, foil, polyester, other synthetic materials, woven cloth, non-woven cloth. Of course, this material is usually chosen for the desired decoration of the room in which the ceiling panel will be incorporated, but it can also be chosen for its acoustic properties.

In the disclosed embodiment, the outer sheet 54, the connector sheet 56 and the divider 5
The 2 is made of the same material, but this is not necessary. This material is
A fiberglass sheet in which glass fibers oriented in random directions are adhered with a resin may be used. As will be described in detail later, the resin may be a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin, though it depends on desired panel characteristics. The adhesive 68 used to connect the components of the panel is typically a thermosetting adhesive that will bond adjacent components at a given temperature. Suitable adhesives include polyurethane resins, copolyester hot melts, hot melt polyurethane reactive adhesives, two component epoxies, two component urethanes, RTV silicones and the like.

The group of dividers 52, which is best understood by looking at the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, can be formed by combining one continuous strip of material, but in the disclosed embodiment the individual dividers are elongated cells. It is shaped or tubular. Each divider is a strip 66 of material such as fiberglass, formed as shown in FIGS. 4-11.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the flat strip 66 before it is passed through the creasing machine. In the creasing machine, as shown in FIG. 5, the material is passed between the rotary creasing wheel 70 and the backup roller 72, and the creasing 74 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in a predetermined lateral direction of the material. Formed at spaced positions. In the preferred system, the wrinkled wheels are
It has a precise creased edge about 1/32 inch in diameter and the backup roller has a hardness of 90 degrees. With this device, an effective fold line can be formed without cutting the material, or at least without damaging much of the glass fiber, if any, so that the material retains its spring force. It As can be seen, starting from the left side of the strip of material shown in FIG. 5, the fold wrinkle 74a is near the left edge of the top surface and the other wrinkle 74b is located slightly left of the center of the top surface. It is in. The fold wrinkle 74c between these two positions is located on the underside of the strip. Corresponding creases are also arranged on the right side of the strips, so that when leaving the crease machine, the strips are formed with six creases, as shown in FIG. The strip 66 of material is then folded along a longitudinally extending crease, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 8A, with both side edges 76 of the strip together at the upper center position of the divider 52. Desirably, the fiber breakage diameter within the material is less than the combined thickness of the folded material to minimize damage, if any, to the fiber during folding. When formed in this manner, the divider forms an elongated tube or cell consisting of two truncated triangles 78 and 80 which are in inverse relation to each other. The lower triangle 78 has a wider base than the upper triangle 80. The fiberglass material from which the divider is made is semi-rigid so that it can be folded and folded along the folds 74, but remains substantially flat between the folds. As shown in FIG. 7, when a force is applied to the cell in the vertical direction, the constituent elements of the cell are crushed, so that the divider has a compressed shape as shown in FIG. The adhesive 68 can be applied in compressed form across the top and bottom of the divider, but it is desirable that the adhesive be thermosetting or thermoplastic and the method of application can be any method. Well, it will be easy for one skilled in the art to understand.

Next, the divider 52 having the adhesive 68 applied to the upper and lower surfaces is carried between the outer sheet 54 and the connector sheet 56 as shown in FIG. 10, and laminated as shown in FIG. The whole is clamped between both heating plates 82, which activates the adhesive 68 in the case of a thermoplastic adhesive and acts as a catalyst in the case of a thermosetting adhesive. Subsequent heat can be used to increase the cure rate if a thermosetting adhesive is used.

If a thermosetting resin is used to bond the strips of material 66 to the glass fibers in the sheets 54 and 56, the panel 50 will be compressed and bonded together and then
It naturally expands to a preformed state as shown in FIG. If the resin to which the glass fibers are bonded is a thermoplastic resin, it remains compressed, but if reheated, the strip naturally expands with heat, which may be the heat of a hair dryer, for example.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the materials from which the divider 52, the outer sheet 54 and the connector sheet 56 are made can be changed, and in fact they may be made of different materials.
It should be noted in this disclosure that the following materials have been found to satisfy the requirements for outer sheet, connector sheet and divider respectively.

JM Type 8802-10, manufactured by John-Manville Corp., Denver, Colorado
0 GSM (glass mat made of thermoplastic resin) or JM type MF5020GS
M (thermosetting resin glass mat) or Ahlstrom type 5150 GSM (thermosetting resin glass tissue) from Ahlstrom, Karfra, Finland.

In addition, for example, there are materials that work well as an outer sheet or a connector sheet but are not suitable as a divider, and conversely, although they work well as a divider, but as an outer sheet and a connector sheet. Not all materials are suitable.
For example, outer sheets and connector sheets include paper, cardboard, metal, plastic,
One of a wide variety of materials can be selected, such as polyester and other synthetic materials. The sheet does not require as much structural stability as the divider provides structural stability to the panel. On the other hand, it is desirable that the divider be made of glass fiber, but as an important property, it has a certain elastic coefficient similar to the specific materials listed above, and it can be folded and retains its elasticity. It can also be made from carbon fiber mats, some types of paper, cardboard, woven materials, films, or combinations thereof. As mentioned above in relation to fiberglass materials, when creasing to make creases in the material, it is important that the material retains its modulus of elasticity after creasing,
This applies, of course, to fiberglass and carbon fiber materials.

As shown in FIG. 13, a decorative sheet 58 is placed between the outer sheet 54 and the heating press 82 with a suitable adhesive 66 between the two sheets to place the decorative sheet in a face-to-face relationship. It may be adhered to the outer sheet. Of course the finished panel,
It becomes like FIG. In the case of adhering the decorative sheet to the outer sheet, in addition to the above alternatives, it is also possible to use a perforated decorative sheet which is adhered to the cover sheet with an adhesive in the form of a grid or printed dots. This allows the laminate to more freely pass or transmit sound. Conversely, the use of a continuous layer of adhesive to connect the decorative and cover sheets reduces the transmission of sound through the laminate. The laminating process can make a relatively unstable decorative sheet flat and stable with a finished flat surface, while at the same time providing impact and break resistance alternatives to cover sheets. In addition, the acoustic characteristics of the panel, the outer sheet material, the material of the strip,
It can be changed by changing the adhesive, the connector sheet, the gap between both sheets, the method of connecting the assembly, and the like.

Other materials can be overlaid or laminated to the connector sheet 56. For example, a film may be overlaid on the connector sheet, or an additional sheet of non-glass fiber material may be laminated. Such panels can be handled without gloves and are not scratched by fiberglass or bare skin. In addition, the film or lamina for connector sheet 56 can be printed with the manufacturer's identification marks or with a dimensional grid to help cut the panel to the desired size. In addition, a perforated lamina or film may be placed over the connector sheet for acoustic purposes, as described above with respect to the outer sheet 54.

As noted above, although a number of materials can be utilized in the present invention, in one preferred embodiment the connector sheet and divider are made of the same material and are manufactured by John-Manville Corporation. It is a glass mat, and the mat is John-Manville No. 5802 or No. 5803. No.5802 is 10% PET
A mat of 120 g / m ² made of / 65% 16 micron glass / 25% MF. No. 5803 is a 100 g / m ² mat made of 12% PET / 68% 16 micron glass / 20% MF. MF is an abbreviation for melamine formaldehyde resin, and indicates that it is a thermosetting resin. PET is polyethylene
Abbreviation for terephthalate. Dividers made from either 5802 or 5803 material have the ability to fold and fully compress after being expanded as described above with little or no heat applied. A more complete description of John-Manville products and related products can be found in US Pat. Nos. 5,840,413, 5,942,288 and 5,972,434, which are hereby incorporated by reference. The patents are incorporated herein by reference.

A suitable outer sheet is a composite lamina of aesthetically pleasing textile material, which is affixed to a glass nonwoven base using a copolyester hot melt adhesive.
Three different lamina are equally desirable. The first thin layer is 45 to 75 g / m ² basis weight, available from Hollingsworth & Vose, Floyd, West Virginia.
The base substrate having the properties of the heat-bonded polyester nonwoven material is used. The adhesive pattern used to heat bond the polyester fibers on the non-woven base substrate is the pattern that is visible on the bottom surface of the outer sheet. When using a small dot bond pattern with a bond area of about 7%, a preferred polyester nonwoven is TR2315A-B from Hollingsworth & Vose. When using a large point bond pattern with a bond area of about 21%, the preferred material is Holling Swarth & Vose TR2864C1.
Both non-woven base substrates are then screen coated with an acrylic binder / flame retardant coating at an added weight of 15 to 25 g / m ² . The coating can be formulated to add durability to the non-woven base substrate while adding flame retardancy. The polyester non-woven base substrate is then passed through a hot melt roll coater / laminator where, for example, a flame retardant copolyester adhesive manufactured by EMC Chem North America, Sumta, NC is used as a polyester non-woven. It is applied on either the surface of the base substrate or the material coated thereon. The coating weight of this adhesive depends on the bond strength desired to be created between the polyester nonwoven base substrate and the glass nonwoven. Generally, 30 to 45
It has been found that an adhesive having a basis weight of g / m ² is desirable. The glass nonwoven is pressure laminated to the polyester nonwoven base substrate, preferably using a gravure roller having a 25x25 mesh pattern. The depth of engraving on the gravure roller is a major variable related to the weight per area of the applied adhesive. EM
According to the adhesive prescription obtained from C Chem Co., the grill tex D1 by EMS
A 50:50 mix of two materials with materials designated 573G and Grilltex VP1692G. EMS Grilltex VP1692G is mixed with 25% of an organic phosphorus flame retardant. The finished 50:50 mixture finally contains about 13.5% flame retardant. After applying the adhesive to the surface of the polyester nonwoven, the adhesive remains molten until it reaches the roll coater / laminator nip where it is joined with the glass nonwoven. The glass non-woven material is preferably a 5802 (120 g / m ² ) mat manufactured by John-Manville mentioned above, the Earlstrom glass non-woven material GFT-413G10-60-1300 (60 g / m ² ) or Earlstrom. Non-woven glass mat GFT-413G10-80-1300 (8
0 g / m ² ). Composite laminates made of the above materials are semi-transparent in nature and this feature, combined with the ability of light to propagate the length of the cells formed between the dividers of the finished panel, results in two Make the shadow visible in the area where the cells meet.

If desired, this polyester non-woven material can be replaced by an aesthetic material with a silver, gray or black backing to reduce this contrast. The back side receives the hot melt adhesive and is subsequently laminated to the glass nonwoven mat.
The coloring reduces the amount of light that propagates to the cell and then emerges on the surface, which reduces the modeling effect.

An alternative aesthetic material to the polyester nonwovens mentioned above is a knit material, which has a silvery, gray or black appearance on one side. To do this,
Guilford Technical Textile knit material from Greensboro, NC is used with knit material consisting of two different types of single knit construction yarns. The preferred yarns used are nylon and polyester. Nylon yarns are predominantly observed on one side of the mat and polyester is observed on the other side. The knitted material is "cross-dyed" with a black dye that has an affinity for nylon and keeps the polyester white. Flame retardants and antifouling agents may also be added to the dye bath preparation. The knit is then stabilized and melamine resin is added to strengthen the woven fabric. The knit material is then hung on a roll coater / laminator and the knit material is laminated to the glass nonwoven material as described above for the polyester fiber material. The preferred gravure roller pattern used in this case is a randomly calculated point pattern, well known in the art. When the silvery, gray or black side of the knit is laminated to the glass nonwoven, the transmission of light through the lamina is reduced due to the dim layer. The visual appearance of the surface is unique and mimics the appearance of a perforated metal ceiling panel. The white side of the knit material can also be laminated to the glass non-woven material, in which case the thin knit layer will look like a metallic screen material, but at the same time the contrast effect will be lost.

Another way to reduce the reflected and transmitted light contrast is to use pigmented black, gray or silvery glass nonwovens. If a colored black, gray or silver glass non-woven material is laminated on the above-mentioned polyester fiber mat or knit mat, the contrast effect can be reduced.

Whether the polyester fiber mat or the knit material is used, the aesthetic material may be colored by printing or coating a material with a coloring pigment. This involves the steps of secondary printing or coating and adds cost. The use of colored or pigmented adhesives can also be adopted as a low cost solution to the contrast and / or surface whitening improvement of aesthetic materials.

14-17 show the assembled panel 50 in a progressively compressed state, with FIG. 14 showing the panel fully expanded and FIG. 17 fully collapsed or It is in a compressed state.

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of panel 50, an enlarged view of which is shown in FIG. Divider 5
It can easily be seen that the two are equally spaced from each other and extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction of the panel. Of course, in FIGS. 18 and 19, the panel is in a fully expanded state, and the corresponding panel in a fully compressed state is shown in FIG.
And 21.

A problem with conventional ceiling panels is that they do not change size and thickness during transport, mounting and use. A desirable feature of the panels of the present invention is that the panels, when fully expanded, have the same predetermined shelf thickness as conventional ceiling panels,
Since it can be compressed during shipping, far more panels can be packed into one container for shipping purposes, which greatly improves shipping costs. When the panel is removed from the shipping container, the panel naturally expands when the fiberglass material is made of thermosetting resin, and when thermoplastic resin is used, it expands when heated. Although the panel can be expanded to any desired thickness, suitable panels for ceilings have a thickness in the range of 12 to 26 mm when desired expanded depending on the span of the panel but are thicker for some applications. It can be thin or thin, about 3-4 mm when fully compressed.

As best seen in FIG. 31, the panel 50 can be easily flexed or bent laterally with respect to the longitudinal direction in which the elongated divider 52 extends, eg in a suspended ceiling support structure. The panel can be easily inserted into. In fact, the panels can be pre-formed into a curved shape, so that even if a curved panel is needed for some reason, the neglected shape can be curved. The panel cannot be very easily deflected or bent in the opposite direction, i.e. the direction in which the divider extends,
That is because the tubular shape of the divider prevents it. However, if desired, support members 84 may be provided at opposite ends of the panel to cover the open ends 86 of the tubular or cellular dividers to substantially rigidize the panel and prevent bending in any direction. You can also The support member 84 may be a preformed C-shaped channel member 88 (plastic, aluminum, etc.) having a rigid shape as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, which is adhered to the end portion of the panel as shown in FIG. 26, for example. It may be a strip 90 of the agent. Although the adhesive strips are somewhat flexible, they are still stiff enough to allow them to bend laterally with respect to the divider's length when installed at the edge of the panel. Can be substantially prevented. Plastic or vinyl tape etc. may be mentioned as examples of suitable adhesive strips. Further, as shown in FIGS. 65-67, the divider 52a may be arranged so as to cover both open ends of the panel. Outer sheet 5
4 and the connector sheet 56 extend to cover the divider 52a that rigidifies the panel in the transverse direction.

The panel can also be made rigid in the cross direction by incorporating a cross divider (not shown) at selected locations in the panel. The cross divider runs in a direction perpendicular to the original divider and may have the same or different cross-sectional shape as the original divider. Of course, the cross divider can be glued to the panel like the original divider. The height of the dividers, whether original dividers or cross dividers, may vary across the width of the panel to create variations in structure and aesthetic effects.

To change the structural characteristics of the divider 52, a sheet of another material, preferably a metal sheet material 92, may be applied to the outer or inner surface of the divider, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 27, respectively. The rigidity of the divider material can be increased slightly. The metal sheet also affects the temperature characteristics of the panel. FIG. 27 shows a metal sheet material on a panel with support members 88, while FIG. 28 does not include support members. Of course, it is preferred that the lamination process be performed during the formation of the divider, also immediately prior to bending and wrinkling.

As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the panel formed according to the above process does not only push down the panel at any point on one surface of the panel, but also reverse the panel. It is unique in that it does not deform the sides. The panel also supports many times its own weight without deflection on the opposite side of the panel. For example,
Expanded thickness is 26mm, width is 24 inches, length is 48 inches, and weight is about 0.9.
Take up 1.98 pounds of a panel formed according to the present invention. This panel was in the form of a disc-shaped weight with a diameter of 10 inches and a load of 2.9 kg (6.
Up to 38 lbs.) Can be supported on the opposite side of the panel with minimal deflection. Point load, about 2 inches in diameter, weighing 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
However, the same panel easily absorbs without any distortion on the bottom surface.

A second embodiment panel 94 is shown in FIGS. 33-35, where the connector sheet 54 comprises a plurality of elongate flexible, but non-stretchable strands or fibers 9.
Has been replaced by 6. This strand or fiber can be plastic
It may be nylon or other similar material with the same or similar properties. The strands or fibers of material are preferably glued or otherwise attached to the tubular divider 52 ', extending transversely to the divider, which is also attached in equidistant, parallel relation to each other. The panel 94 thus formed is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, like the panel described above, it can be easily bent or bent laterally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the divider.

In each of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the divider is the polygonal line 1 in the longitudinal direction.
Since it has the same lateral dividers 98 (FIGS. 12 and 34) with 00, the lateral dividers collapse inwardly when the panel is compressed. The side partition plate is composed of an upper portion 98a and a lower portion 98b, each of which has a rectangular shape, but the upper portion 98a is smaller in size than the lower portion 98b. This arrangement is referred to as an asymmetrical arrangement, where the divider top and bottom sizes are different.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 36-42, in which panel 102 is shown in FIG. 1 except that divider plate 104 of divider 105 is symmetrical.
It is the same as that shown in 2. In other words, the panel 102 has an outer sheet 54 '.
And a connector sheet 56 'are interconnected by a divider provided with a partition plate, and a decorative panel 58' is mounted on the outer sheet as required. However, the fold line 106 along the partition plate 104 is arranged such that the upper rectangular portion 104a of each partition plate has the same size as the lower rectangular portion 104b. The panel 102 is again compressible.

An isometric view of the panel 102 shown in FIGS. 36-38 in its compressed and expanded configurations is shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, which show that when fully compressed, the panel is compared to its normally expanded state. Understand that the thickness or outline is much smaller.

As shown in FIGS. 41 and 42, by stacking the panels, it is possible to save a considerable amount of space by compressing them, and therefore, when transporting, a larger number of panels than a conventional ceiling panel can be used. Since it can be packed in a container, the cost can be saved considerably.

The advantage of using a symmetric divider is that it can eliminate telegraph phenomena that can occur in a compressed panel without careful monitoring. Telegraph phenomenon is a phenomenon that can occur when a sheet is pressed tightly against other components, such as dividers and dividers, during compression of a panel of the type described herein. If the pressure is too high or the resistance of the divider is too large, the pattern of where the partition plate is fixed and where it is not fixed becomes visible through the sheet.

As can be seen from the panel using the asymmetric divider of FIG. 17, there is a gap between the dividers along the connection part with the connector sheet, but FIG.
If a symmetrical divider such as that shown in FIG. 8 is used, such a gap hardly occurs. Therefore, in the panel using the symmetrical divider as shown in FIG. 38, the telegraph phenomenon can be avoided regardless of the pressure applied to the panel. However, in the panel of the present invention with symmetrical or asymmetrical dividers, when the connector sheet is pressed downwards towards the divider, the divider is simply compressed rather than resisting pressure, so that the connector sheet is Apply the proper pressure to bond to the divider,
Please understand that the telegraph phenomenon is unlikely to occur due to the fact that it can be applied without causing the telegraph phenomenon.

By changing the position of the broken line 106 of each side partition plate of the divider 105,
The resistance of the panel to compression can be adjusted. For example, in the asymmetrical panel 50 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 plate 98 in the extended extended position, which is shown in FIG. Is larger than the angle (d) formed on the partition plate 104 of the symmetrical panel shown in FIG. But,
The heights A of the panels in the expanded state are the same. Although there is a difference between the lengths B and C of the upper portion 98a and the lower portion 98b of the side partition plate of the asymmetric divider,
In the symmetrical divider shown in FIG. 46, the upper partition plate portion 104a and the lower partition plate portion 104b have the same length D.

As the angle (a) or (b) of the side partition plate increases, the resistance when compressing the panel increases as shown in FIGS. 47 and 48. 47 and 48 show a state in which the force F of the same magnitude is applied to the asymmetrical divider panel 50 of FIG. 47 and the symmetric divider panel 102 of FIG. 48. It can be seen that the symmetric divider panel is more compressed. This is because the angle of the side partition plate of the symmetric divider panel is smaller than the angle of the asymmetric divider panel.

Without being intended to be limiting, and by way of illustration for illustration, a panel formed in accordance with the present invention has been found to provide satisfactory performance, with the outer sheet, connector sheet and divider all Made from 100 GSM John-Manville # 8802 glass mat, the parameters defined in FIGS. 43 to 46 are in the following ranges: 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 Another embodiment 108 of a panel according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 51 and 52, but the connector of the embodiment described above. Sheets have been omitted by using a unique divider 110. 49 and 50, the divider 110 is
Similar to the first-described embodiment of the present invention, it is generally hourglass-shaped forming two truncated triangular regions 112 and 114 opposite one another, but the top of the divider is a long horizontal leg. And to form a split connector sheet composed of a plurality of interconnected strips that overlap adjacent dividers and are formed by the horizontal legs of the dividers. Although the divider 110 is shown as asymmetrical,
Of course, it may be a symmetrical type as shown in the third embodiment of the present invention.
Thus, the divider has a base 118, a left side divider 120, and a right side divider 122, each side divider having a horizontal leg 124 and 126 at the top thereof. Since the fold lines 128 are formed on the side partition plates, the side partition plates are crushed when pressure is applied to the top or bottom of the divider.
The horizontal top leg 126 of the right side divider is about 1/3 the width of the divider top, while the horizontal leg 124 from the left side divider is slightly longer than the divider base 118 and It will overlie the horizontal top legs 124 of the divider.

As best seen in FIG. 51, when the plurality of dividers 110 are arranged adjacent to each other or side by side in succession, the top horizontal leg portion 124 from the left side partition plate 120 is arranged. Extends beyond the right side partition plate 122 and overlaps the top horizontal leg portion 124 of the left side partition plate 120 of the next divider adjacent to the right side. Overlapping horizontal top legs 124 from the left divider plate combine with each other to form a separate but integral connector sheet. Of course, the top horizontal legs 124 from the left side dividers of each divider are the same as the top horizontal legs 12 from the right side dividers.
6 to the top horizontal leg 124 from the left side partition plate of the right divider. A cover sheet 130 is fixed to the base portion 118 of each divider, interconnects each divider along the base portion, and, of course, a decorative sheet (not shown) may be attached to the lower surface of the outer sheet or the split connector sheet as needed. No)
Can also be fixed.

Another embodiment 132 formed in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 53-55, in which the divider 134 does not form cells on its own, but is folded in a zigzag pattern. A strip of material that is secured to outer sheet 136 and connector sheet 138 to form a cellular compressible panel. First, FIG.
As shown at 54, the divider 134 is formed from a strip of material and has a pair of outer parallel crease lines 140 and a pair of inner parallel crease lines 142, the outer crease lines. The inner fold lines are also bent in opposite directions. A pair of mounting surfaces, or peripheral regions 144 and 146, are formed between each outer fold line of the strip and each side edge 148, which is secured to the outer and connector sheets respectively by any suitable method. Will be done. Between the peripheral areas of the divider, there is an intermediate part 150 of the divider, in which two inner fold lines are provided, so that when lateral pressure is applied to either peripheral area, the strips will collapse. It has become. The expanded and compressed states of panel 132 formed by divider 134 of FIGS. 53 and 54 are shown in FIGS. 55 and 56, respectively.

Another divider 152 is shown in FIGS. 57 and 58 for use in the panels shown in FIGS. 59 and 60 in the expanded and compressed states, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 57 and 58, the divider 15
2 has a pair of parallel outer fold lines 156 spaced inwardly from opposite edges 158 of the strips of material from which the divider is made and having folds of the same orientation. A third intermediate crease line 160 is provided between them. Upper peripheral region 16
2 is formed between one side edge of the strip of material and one of the outer fold lines, and a second, much larger, lower peripheral region 164 is provided along the bottom of the divider along the bottom of the strip of material. It is formed between the edges concerned and the adjacent fold line. Since the intermediate crease line 160 is formed with folds in opposite directions, the divider has upper and lower peripheral regions of different widths, both peripheral regions being adjacent to each other as seen in FIG. Folding line 15
Both 6 are protruding to the right. The upper peripheral region 162 of each divider is secured to the connector sheet 166 in parallel and equidistant positions, while the lower peripheral region 164 extends to the right and becomes part of the next divider adjacent to the right. overlapping.
The overlapping lower peripheral regions are secured to each other to form an integral split outer sheet 168 formed by the lower peripheral regions of each of the plurality of dividers. Of course, a decorative sheet (not shown) can be placed over the interconnected lower peripheral region or the connector sheet to provide a change in the aesthetic appearance of the panel.

A similar embodiment 170 of a divider is shown in FIGS. 61-64, again with a strip of material having a pair of outer fold lines 172 with one intermediate fold line 174 therebetween.
And upper and lower peripheral regions 176 and 178 are formed between each side edge 180 of the strip and each outer fold line 172. The fold line on the outer fold line 172 is
Since it is in the opposite direction to the fold line along the intermediate crease line 174, the upper and lower peripheral regions both project horizontally rightward as viewed in FIG. As can be seen, both horizontal regions extend horizontally beyond the intermediate crease line 174 and overlap the upper and lower peripheral regions adjacent to the right side, so that they are secured there in any suitable manner. Then, it is possible to form a panel showing an expanded state in FIG. 63 and a compressed state in FIG. 64.

In an alternative embodiment panel 182 made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 68-73, the panel also includes an outer sheet 54, a connector sheet 56, and a plurality of sheets extending between the sheets. It has a divider 184. As best seen in FIGS. 68 and 71, the partial divider 184a with the panel has a Z-shaped cross section and the divider 184b with another part of the panel has an inverted Z-shaped cross section. is doing. At the 186 position where the divider changes direction, the panel can be bent at a right angle, as shown in FIGS. 72 and 73, so that the panel can be, for example, a right angle configuration of the building components to which it is attached. You can follow. For example, the panel could be wrapped around a rectangular duct of the type found in buildings and the like for forced drafts and the like.

Referring back to FIGS. 68 and 71, as can be seen, in the right portion of the panel the divider 184a has a Z-shaped cross section and the upper horizontal leg 188 extends leftward,
The lower horizontal leg 190 extends rightward, and a diagonal connecting leg 192 connects the right end of the upper leg and the left end of the lower leg. The Z-shaped divider 184a is, of course, similar to the divider described above, in that the strips that make up the divider are provided with fold lines and the strips of material are folded along the fold lines. The inverted Z-shaped divider 184b on the left side of the panel is
Of course, it has an upper horizontal leg 194 extending to the right, a lower horizontal leg 196 extending to the left, and a diagonal connecting leg 198 extending from the left end of the upper leg to the right end of the lower leg.

As can be seen clearly in FIGS. 68 and 71-73, the panel can be bent at a right angle at a position 186 (near the center in the illustrated panel) where the divider turns. The panel can then be fully expanded so that the legs of the divider are at right angles to each other and a rectangular cell is formed, as shown in FIGS. 72 and 73.

As can be seen in FIGS. 68 and 69, this panel can be compressed as well as the panels of the previously described embodiments made in accordance with the present invention. This panel can also be modified to be rigid in the cross direction in the manner shown in FIGS. 74-79. As can be seen, the portion near the edge of the panel is partially cut by passing through connector sheet 56 and divider 52 (transversely to the length of the divider), but without cutting outer sheet 54. It can be cut at position 89. This scoring creates a small strip 91 of material that can be independently compressed as shown in FIG. 75, to which a stiffening clip 93 can be attached. The rigidized clip of the embodiments disclosed herein includes
Basically, it has a J-shaped cross section, a long side 95, a short side 97 parallel to the long side, and a connecting wall for connecting the corresponding edges on the long side and the short side. 99 and a lip portion 101 extending along an edge portion on the opposite side of the long side connecting wall 99. The clip can be attached to a strip of compressed material to hold the material in compression. The clip and the compressed material can be folded upward as shown in FIGS. 77 and 78 to form a rigid portion along the edge of the panel.
Of course, the stiffening strips of material could, if desired, be folded up and then glued in place as shown in FIGS. 78 and 79.

With appropriate modifications obvious to those skilled in the art, this clip can also be used as a mounting clip for hanging a panel from a ceiling support member (not shown),
This is, for example, the co-pending application 08 / 725,95 filed April 10, 2000.
No. 7, "Clading Systems and Panels for Use in Such Systems", of the type described, which is owned by the present application. This application is incorporated herein by reference.

As will be appreciated from the above description of various embodiments of the present invention, each divider with its own characteristics may be incorporated into other embodiments.
Taken as an example, the upper and lower portions of the lateral dividers of various dividers, or the upper and lower portions of the wall separating the upper and lower peripheral portions, may be of the same or different dimensions, thereby providing symmetrical dividers. Or asymmetric divider is decided. Furthermore,
One panel can be made easier to compress than another simply by changing the angle of the divider's lateral dividers. Similarly, if the dividers are widened, the panel
Bends easily across the divider. The height of the divider also affects the strength of the panel (assuming the other parameters are the same), so simply increasing the height of the divider
Panel length and width (ie, span) without changing the strength or adhesive properties of the panel
Can also be quite large. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, by stacking different types of decorative sheets on the outer sheet of the panel to create different colors, patterns, weaves, etc. inside the room where the panel is used, a number of aesthetics are achieved. , Can also create acoustic properties.

As can be appreciated from the above description, the material from which the outer sheet, connector sheet or divider is made can be varied to create different properties of the panel. For example,
The materials can be varied to obtain different acoustic properties of the panel or different light transmission properties. In addition, the material may be flame retardant to prevent the spread of fire in the building in which the panel is used. It is also possible to use different materials in the panel, for example the cover sheet or the connector sheet made of the same or different material and the divider also made of the same or different material as one of the cover or the connector sheet. The material from which the divider is made may vary within a panel. For example,
Some dividers are provided for the elasticity and compression properties of the panel, others are
It may be provided to change the sound, light transmission and flame retardant performance of the panel. Further, the panels can be stacked within a building to change the acoustic or light transmission properties of the panels.

Although the panel described above has been described as basically being used in place of a conventional acoustic tile supported on a T-shaped support member of a suspended ceiling grid work, this panel is not With a slight modification, it is possible to suspend the same T-shaped support member. As can be seen, by suspending the panel of the present invention from the T-shaped support member 60, the panel removes or removes the acoustic tiles placed or supported on the T-shaped support member 60. Instead, it can be used to replace or upgrade an existing ceiling system.

80-96 show a panel 200 suspended from the T-shaped support member 60 or modified so that it can be supported by the T-shaped support member 60. The plurality of panels shown in FIG. It is mounted so as to be below the existing acoustic panel 202 supported on 60. As will be appreciated, each panel 200 is a panel of the general type described above, which includes outer sheet 204, connector sheet 206, and a plurality of parallel sheets between the sheets, as shown in FIGS. 84-86. And a cellular divider 208. Cellular dividers have compressible properties, as previously described, and are crease-folded into individual material strips and overlap one another, as best seen in FIGS. 87-91. It is desirable to form an elongated tube having two truncated triangular regions 210 and 212. The divider 208 has a fold line 21.
6 has a collapsible intermediate side wall 214, which allows
The sidewalls can be collapsed inward as shown in FIGS. 89-91, and FIGS.
It can also be expanded outwards as shown in Fig. 8 but this includes the type of binder used in the fiberglass matting material to make the divider, and a number of treatments including heating and cooling the divider to be described later. It depends on the conditions.

At each end of the panel 200, along the open end of the cellular divider 208, FIG.
A unique clip 218, visible on 1-86, is secured to the panel.
This clip is preferably an elongate, extruded member of a rigid material such as aluminum, plastic, etc., which is probably best seen in Figure 82, but is generally inverted J-shaped. . Therefore, the clip has a shape in which the lip 222 projects from the bottom edge of the vertical and flat body 220. An upper downwardly open hook-shaped channel 224 extends from the upper edge of the body. A second or horizontally open hook-shaped channel 2 along the upper edge
26 is formed and protrudes from the main body in a direction opposite to the lip 222. A rib 228 protruding obliquely extends from the upper edge of the main body to the lower side of the channel 226 that is horizontally opened.

As shown in FIGS. 92-95, the clips 218 are cut out at the edges of the panel as previously described so that the outer sheet 204 projects vertically from opposite ends of the panel. Alternatively, the outer sheet may be made slightly longer and wider than the rest of the panel so that it naturally pops out from the opposite ends, as shown in FIGS. 87 and 92, to provide longitudinal extension of the outer sheet. The portion 230 and the lateral extension 232 of the outer sheet are formed or fixed to the edge of the panel 200. An elongated straight reinforcement strip 234 made of plastic, aluminum, cardboard, etc.
94 is glued to the upper surface of the outer sheet longitudinal extension 230 protruding from the end of the panel and then a clip is placed over the outer sheet longitudinal extension and the reinforcement, as shown in FIG.
The stiffening strip and the outer seat longitudinal extension are positioned by inserting the lip 222 into the downwardly opening J-shaped channel 224 adjacent the body such that the lip 222 hooks on the inner edge of the stiffener. With the clip arranged in this manner, the vertical expansion portion 230 of the outer sheet, the reinforcing member 234, and the clip 218 are connected to each other by connecting the connector sheets 206 at the opposite ends of the panel to each other as shown in FIG. Bent until it fits between the J-shaped channel 226 that opens into and the diagonal rib 228. The underside of the horizontally opening J-channel 226 is then glued or otherwise secured to the connector sheet 206 to hold the clip in the position shown in FIG.

The diagonal ribs 228 on each clip project below the connector sheet to hold the panel in its fully expanded position. By following the same procedure at each longitudinal end of the panel, it can be seen that each panel is fitted with a clip and has a horizontally opening J-shaped channel 226, as shown in FIGS. 84 and 85. It is arranged so that it can be fixed to the flange of the mold support member 60.

Another method of securing the J-shaped clip to the edge of the panel is shown in FIGS. 92A-95A. In this alternative system, at the open longitudinal end of the panel, a downward cut or slit is provided through the open ends of the connector sheet 206 and the divider 208 to separate the connector sheet and divider, as shown in FIG. 92A. A small gap is formed between the cut part and the rest of the panel. 94. The connector sheet and divider are then compressed downwardly into intimate relationship with the outer sheet 204 and the compressed material is inserted into the downwardly opening J-shaped channel 224 of FIG.
As shown in A, the lip 222 of the clip is hooked to the inner end of the compressed material. The clip with the compressed material inside is then bent upward and secured in place, preferably with adhesive, to form the longitudinal ends of the panel, as shown in Figure 95A. To be done.

As shown in FIG. 83, the horizontally opening J-shaped channels 226 oppose to accommodate a T-shaped support member that extends at a right angle to the T-shaped support member 60 to which the clip is secured. A space is provided inward from the vertical end of the clip 218. In this way, the panel is not supported by the grid work of a conventional T-shaped support member, whether or not another acoustic tile is supported by the grid work. It can be hung and supported. In other words, the panel 200 to which the clip 218 is secured can be used in combination with an existing grid work or a new grid work in exactly the same manner. As you can see, the clips on adjacent vertically aligned panels can butt against each other (Fig. 85), so the outer sheet ends of both panels are slightly spaced apart, and Has the appearance of being substantially continuous, in fact the grid-like workpieces suspending the panels are not visible. Furthermore,
The clips support the panels in their fully expanded position so that the lower or outer sheet 204 of each panel is horizontally aligned with the outer sheet of the adjacent panel,
The ceiling formed by such panels has a smooth and uniform appearance. Figure 87-
As shown at 91, the lateral extension 232 of the outer sheet is bent upwards to engage the adjacent side wall 214 of the outermost divider and secured there with a suitable adhesive, along the side edges. Can create a finished appearance on the panel.

At times, it may be desirable to wind the panel around a corner or form a corner. The panels of the present invention can be used to fold or form corners in an aesthetically pleasing manner as shown in FIGS. 97 and 98. In the example shown in FIG. 97, the divider 208 is left at the place where the panel is to be folded or bent while leaving the outer sheet 204.
Can be cut from the rest of the panel, including the connector sheet 206 above it. Then, as shown in FIG. 98, set the remaining part of the panel to 1
It can be folded in one direction or the other so that the remaining one part of the panel can be oriented at a right angle to the other, yet the outer sheet 204 remains continuously stretched around the bend. As it is, it is possible to form the corners of the panel which are perfectly finished. Folding the panels in this manner is desired, for example, for a skylight whose window rises in an upwardly recessed portion above the level of the ceiling, in which case the procedure shown in FIGS. , Single or multiple panels will be folded and stretched from the normal ceiling level to the recessed part of the skylight.

As previously mentioned, suitable materials for making dividers include glass fibers and mixtures of thermosetting and thermoplastic resins. The material thus formed has the property of wanting to maintain the orientation of a flat plane even after it has been folded and wrinkled as previously described, for example in the shape of a divider as shown in FIGS. 89-91. have. In order to keep the sidewalls 214 of each divider in an inwardly folded shape, it is necessary to keep the panel 200 in at least some compression for an extended period of time, otherwise it will be folded. The side wall will be bent outwards by the force returning to a flat orientation. Of course, since the divider is fixed to the outer sheet 204 and connector sheet 206 along the top and bottom, it cannot be returned to a flat planar condition, but the sidewalls are only present if held in compression. Attempting to be straight over a period of time, and then, the state of being bent inward as shown in FIG. 89 is changed to the state of being bent outward as shown in FIG. 88, and the side walls of the adjacent dividers are in a butted state. Reinforcing each other and making the panels rigid makes them virtually incompressible. The panel in this substantially incompressible state is shown in FIG. In other words, the sidewalls need to be folded inward as shown in FIGS. 89-91 to maintain the compressible nature of the finished panel.

The strips of material from which the divider 208 is made are folded in a non-heated environment and hot melt adhesive is applied to the strips or outer sheet 204 and connector sheet 206 prior to laminating them. As previously mentioned, the panel 200 is shown in FIG.
If not maintained in the compressed shape as shown in 1, the panel will expand over time to the shape shown in FIG. 88 which can no longer be compressed. The time required for the divider to shift from the shape shown in FIGS. 89-91 to the shape shown in FIG. 88 is obtained by compressing the resin used in the material for making the divider and the divider into the state shown in FIG. 89-91. It depends on many factors, including whether the material was heated during the process. Applying heat while the divider is compressed will increase the time required to expand to the condition shown in FIG. In addition, increasing the proportion of thermoplastic used to form the material from which the divider is made can also increase the time required for the divider to transition from the shape of FIG. 89 to the shape of FIG. 88. For example, the time required for deformation varies from 15 minutes to 32 hours.

Therefore, when the panel 200 is made and conveyed, it is conveyed in a compressed state,
In particular, a relatively small number of panels can be packed and transported in a relatively small container as compared to a conventional acoustic tile having a fixed thickness similar to the fully expanded thickness of the panel 200 according to the present invention. It is desirable to do. However, once the panel is removed from the shipping container, the panel instantaneously expands from the shape shown in FIG. 91 to the shape shown in FIG. 90 and then to the shape shown in FIG. 89. The panel is shown in FIG.
No. 9 shape and then changes to the shape shown in FIG. 88 where the panel becomes incompressible. During this time, the panel can be cut to the desired shape and attached to the support grid system before the panel becomes substantially incompressible. Therefore, if the panel is inserted before it becomes incompressible, it is flexible and can be easily inserted into the openings formed between the support members of the support grid system.

As mentioned above, the panels made according to the invention have the desired acoustic properties and can be varied according to various parameters. It should be appreciated by comparing certain embodiments of the present invention with conventional acoustic tiles that acoustical advantages may result from panels formed in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 99, FIG.
3 shows a graph comparing a panel of 1 with other acoustic tiles. The X-axis represents the frequency in Hz, and the Y-axis represents the noise reduction coefficient. The three panels compared to the panel of FIG. 14 according to the present invention are each of the Armstrong brand Cirrus.
A non-woven fleece with a hard mineral acoustic tile, a 2 inch thick glass fiber tile, trademarked by Ecophone, Sweden, and a 0.7 mm perforated metal panel, Luxalon 300C, made by Hunter Douglas, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It is a top-up sheet.

As can be seen, the acoustic panel of FIG. 14 outperforms the three compared panels at low and fairly high frequencies and exhibits comparable performance at intermediate frequencies.

Although the present invention has been described to a certain extent above, the present disclosure has been made by way of example, and changes in detail or structure depart from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. Please understand that it can be done without.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1]   3 is an isometric view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention. FIG.

2 is a partial isometric view of a suspended ceiling of a building incorporating the panel of FIG. 1 looking up.

[Figure 3]   FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

[Figure 4]   FIG. 3 is a front view of a strip of material that makes the divider of the panel of the present invention.

5 is a front view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 4 in a state in which it has been pre-creased to form a fold line.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 4 after it has been creased as shown in FIG.

7 is a front view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 6 in the state of being folded along a pre-formed folding line.

[Figure 8]   8 is a front view of the divider shown in FIG. 7 in a compressed state.   FIG. 8A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion surrounded by a circle in FIG.

9 is a front view similar to FIG. 8 with the layers of adhesive indicated by the dotted lines arranged above and below the divider.

FIG. 10 shows the outer sheet and the connector sheet with the adhesive layer disposed above and below, respectively.
It is a front view similar to.

11 is a front view showing a state in which the composite body shown in FIG. 10 is heated and compressed between heating elements. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a partial end view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention with a layer of decorative material adhesively secured to an outer sheet of the panel.

FIG. 13 is a partial end view of the panel shown in FIG. 12 in a compressed state between hot pressing elements.

14 shows a divider with an asymmetric partition plate and in a fully expanded state, FIG.
It is an end view of the panel shown in FIG.

FIG. 15   FIG. 15 is an end view similar to FIG. 14 with the panel partially compressed.

FIG. 16   FIG. 16 is an end view similar to FIG. 15, with the panel slightly further compressed.

FIG. 17   FIG. 17 is an end view similar to FIG. 16 with the panel fully compressed.

FIG. 18   FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 19   FIG. 19 is an enlarged isometric view showing a portion of the panel shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20   19 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 18 in a fully compressed state. FIG.

FIG. 21   FIG. 21 is an enlarged isometric view showing a portion of the panel shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 22   FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels compressed and stacked together.

FIG. 23   FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the multiple panels shown in FIG. 22 in an expanded state.

FIG. 24 is a partially enlarged end view of the panel shown in FIG. 14 with end supports to prevent the panel from bending.

FIG. 25   It is a fragmentary sectional view which follows the 25-25 line of FIG.

FIG. 26 is a partial isometric view of an end support at one end of the panel and a second end support about to be attached to the other end of the panel with a portion removed.

FIG. 27 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of a panel to illustrate another embodiment of a divider in which the divider includes an inner layer of metal foil.

28 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a panel similar to FIG. 27, showing another arrangement of the divider with a metal foil attached to the outer surface of the divider.

29 is a cross-sectional view of the panel shown in FIG. 14 with the top surface of the panel being subjected to compression.

FIG. 30   It is sectional drawing which follows the 30-30 line of FIG.

FIG. 31   FIG. 15 is an end view of the panel shown in FIG. 14 in a state of being bent in an upward concave shape.

32 is an end view of a panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention in which the divider dividers are symmetrical rather than asymmetrical as shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is an isometric view of a panel according to the invention, wherein the coupling means is an elongated strand or fiber fixed to the side of the divider remote from the outer sheet.

FIG. 34   FIG. 34 is an enlarged isometric view showing a portion of the panel shown in FIG. 33.

35 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 33 with the panel bent or curved upward in a concave shape. FIG.

FIG. 36 is an end view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention and corresponding to the panel shown in FIG. 32.

FIG. 37   FIG. 37 is an end view of the panel shown in FIG. 36 with the panel partially compressed.

FIG. 38   FIG. 38 is an end view of the panel shown in FIG. 37 in a fully compressed state.

FIG. 39   39 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 38 in a fully compressed state. FIG.

FIG. 40   37 is an isometric view of a portion of the panel shown in FIG. 36 in a fully expanded state. FIG.

41 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels of the type shown in FIG. 36, compressed and stacked. FIG.

42 is an isometric view of a portion of multiple panels of the type shown in FIG. 36 stacked in a fully expanded state.

FIG. 43 is a schematic end view of a panel with an asymmetric divider, illustrating the dimensional characteristics of the asymmetric divider.

FIG. 44 is a schematic end view of a panel with a symmetric divider, illustrating the dimensional characteristics of the symmetric divider.

45 is an enlarged end view of a portion of the panel of FIG. 43 illustrating other dimensional characteristics.

FIG. 46 is an enlarged end view of a portion of the panel of FIG. 44 illustrating another dimensional characteristic.

FIG. 47   FIG. 46 is an end view similar to FIG. 45, showing the panel compressed with force F.

FIG. 48   FIG. 47 is an end view similar to FIG. 46, showing the panel compressed with force F.

FIG. 49   FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider for use with the panel of the present invention.

FIG. 50   FIG. 50 is an end view of the divider shown in FIG. 49.

51 is an end view of the panel including the plurality of dividers shown in FIG. 49 in an expanded state.

FIG. 52   FIG. 52 is a reduced end view of the panel shown in FIG. 51 in a compressed state.

FIG. 53   FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider used in a panel of the present invention.

FIG. 54   FIG. 54 is an end view of the divider shown in FIG. 53.

FIG. 55 is an end view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention and using the divider of FIG. 53 in an expanded state.

FIG. 56   FIG. 56 is a reduced end view of the panel of FIG. 55 in a compressed state.

FIG. 57   FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider used in a panel of the present invention.

FIG. 58   FIG. 58 is an end view of the divider shown in FIG. 57.

FIG. 59   FIG. 58 is an end view of a panel utilizing the divider of FIG. 57 in an expanded state.

FIG. 60   FIG. 60 is a reduced end view of the panel shown in FIG. 59 in a compressed state.

FIG. 61   FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another divider used in the panel of the present invention.

FIG. 62   FIG. 62 is an end view of the divider shown in FIG. 61.

FIG. 63   FIG. 62 is an end view of a panel using the divider shown in FIG. 61 in an expanded state.

FIG. 64   FIG. 64 is a reduced end view of the panel shown in FIG. 63 in a compressed state.

FIG. 65 is an exploded isometric view of a panel similar to that shown in FIG. 1 with additional rigidity at each end provided with additional dividers that extend perpendicular to the original divider.

FIG. 66   FIG. 66 is a side view of the panel shown in FIG. 65.

FIG. 67   FIG. 66 is an end view of the panel shown in FIG. 65.

FIG. 68 is an end view of a further embodiment of the invention with the panel bendable at right angles.

FIG. 69   FIG. 69 is an isometric view of a panel formed as in FIG. 68, in a fully compressed state.

FIG. 70   FIG. 70 is a side view of the panel shown in FIG. 69.

FIG. 71   FIG. 69 is an end view similar to FIG. 68 showing the panel in a slightly expanded state.

72 is an end view of the panel of FIG. 68 with the panel bent at a right angle and the panel fully expanded. FIG.

FIG. 73   FIG. 73 is an end view of the panel shown in FIG. 72.

FIG. 74   FIG. 6 is a partial isometric view showing an end surface of the panel with a part of the panel cut away.

FIG. 75 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 74 with the panel partially cut away to be compressed and fitted with an elongated clip.

FIG. 76 is a partial isometric view similar to FIGS. 74 and 75 showing the clip attached to the compressed portion of the panel.

77 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 76 showing the clip attached to the compressed portion of the panel folded up. FIG.

FIG. 78: The clip attached to the compressed part of the panel is bent 90 degrees,
FIG. 78 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 77, showing butted against the new end of the panel.

FIG. 79   FIG. 79 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 79-79 of FIG. 78.

FIG. 80 is a partial isometric view showing another structural arrangement of a ceiling system in which the panel is suspended rather than supported by a supporting grid work.

FIG. 81   FIG. 81 is an isometric view of a panel used in the ceiling system shown in FIG. 80.

FIG. 82   FIG. 82 is a partial isometric view showing an end of a clip member used in the panel of FIG. 81.

83 is a partial isometric view of the clip of FIG. 82 attached to a longitudinal end of the panel shown in FIG. 81.

FIG. 84   FIG. 81 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view taken along the line 84-84 in FIG. 80.

FIG. 85   FIG. 81 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 85-85 of FIG. 80.

FIG. 86 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 85 with the conventional acoustic tile removed from its supported relationship to the support member.

87 is a partial transverse vertical cross section of the panel of FIG. 81 showing the outer sheet extending from the longitudinal side edges of the panel.

88 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 87 with the stretched outer sheet folded and adhesively secured to the longitudinal ends of the panel of FIG. 81.

FIG. 89   89 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 88, with the panel slightly compressed.

FIG. 90   FIG. 90 is a partial vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 89, with the panel further compressed.

91 is a partial vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 90, with the panel in a substantially fully compressed state. FIG.

92 is a partial vertical vertical sectional view showing a state where the outer sheet is extended in the vertical direction from one end portion of the panel in FIG. 81. FIG. 92A is a view, corresponding to FIG. 92, of an alternative system for attaching clips to the ends of a panel, where:
The ends of the panel are compressed to replace the stiffening strips used in FIG.

93 is a vertical partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 92, showing the reinforcement strips supported by the outer sheet extension. 93A is a view corresponding to FIG. 93 showing an alternative system for attaching clips to the ends of the panel, where the ends of the panel are attached to the stiffening strips used in FIG. Compressed to replace.

94 is a vertical partial vertical cross sectional view similar to FIG. 93, showing the clip secured to the outer seat extension. 94A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 94 showing an alternative system for attaching clips to the ends of the panel, where the ends of the panel are attached to the stiffening strips used in FIG. Compressed to replace.

95 is a vertical partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 94, showing the clip folded up and riding on the vertical edge of the panel; FIG. 95A corresponds to 95,
FIG. 100 illustrates an alternative system for attaching clips to the ends of a panel, where the ends of the panel are compressed to replace the stiffening strips used in FIG. 95.

FIG. 96   FIG. 82 is an enlarged partial horizontal vertical sectional view taken along the line 96-96 in FIG. 81.

97 is a schematic view of a divider for removing a part of the divider to facilitate bending of the panel; FIG.
FIG. 3 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a state in which one is removed.

98 is a partially cutaway lateral cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 97, showing the panel folded around the divider removed space shown in FIG. 97.

FIG. 99   3 is a graph showing a comparison of acoustic properties between a panel according to the present invention and another panel.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), OA (BF , BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, G M, KE, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ , UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, B Z, CA, CH, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE , DK, DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, I S, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK , LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, P T, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL , TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72) Inventor Colson, Wendell Bee             Massachusetts State 02493,             Weston, Byron Road 14 (72) Inventor Slon, Jason Tee             80487, Colorado, United States             Mombout Springs, Phone Ku             Leak Road 23500 F-term (reference) 2E162 BA10 BB10 CB01 CC01 CC06                       CD05 CD07 CD15 CE05 CE06                       CE08 FA14 GB07

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A compressible structural panel comprising: at least one outer sheet of material having an inner surface and an outer surface; and a plurality of compressible dividers that are expanded in the undisturbed state, fixed to the inner surface and protruding from the inner surface. And a connector means for integrally fixing each of the dividers at a position apart from the outer sheet, the compressible structural panel. 2. The panel of claim 1, wherein the dividers are elongated and extend parallel to each other. 3. The panel of claim 1 or 2, wherein the divider is made of a semi-rigid material. 4. The panel of claim 3, wherein the dividers are independent of each other. 5. The panel of claim 4, wherein the divider is foldable in the compressed state. 6. The divider according to claim 4, wherein the divider is biased toward a standing state.
The panel described in. 7. The divider is made from a separate sheet of semi-rigid but collapsible material, the sheet being foldable to form a flap securable to the outer sheet and the connector means. 7. The panel of claim 6, wherein a pair of collapsible partition plates extend between the outer sheet and the connector means. 8. The partition plate of claim 7, wherein the partition plate is substantially elongate and flat, and has longitudinal folds so as to be folded into a substantially face-to-face relationship with the flap when in a compressed state. The panel described. 9. The panel according to claim 7, wherein the sheet is made of fiberglass obtained by hardening a plurality of glass fibers with resin. 10. The panel of claim 9, wherein the resin is thermosetting. 11. The panel of claim 9, wherein the resin is thermoplastic. 12. The panel of claim 9, wherein the outer sheet is fiberglass. 13. The panel of claim 12 wherein the connector means is a sheet of material. 14. The panel of claim 13, wherein the connector means is a fiberglass sheet. 15. The panel of claim 12, wherein the connector means comprises a plurality of flexible but non-stretchable fibers coupled to the divider. 16. The panel according to claim 1, wherein the panel is a ceiling panel. 17. The panel of claim 7, wherein the divider includes longitudinal folds that define a pair of divider portions. 18. The panel of claim 17, wherein the panel portions are the same size. 19. The panel of claim 17, wherein the panel portions have different sizes. 20. The panel of claim 1, further comprising a decorative sheet secured to the outer surface of the outer sheet.