Hook connector with plastic fire relief
US7520095B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 2005 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 19, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S52/05
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The invention relates to a right-angle connection in the grid of a suspended ceiling, between inverted T-beams having a vertical web extending between a bulb at the top and flanges at the bottom. A connector on the end of a cross beam hooks into a slot in the web of a main beam. The connector has a plastic encasement that forms abutments about a metallic core. The abutments position the connector within the slot in the web, and prevent further entry of the connector into the slot, under normal conditions. The plastic abutments melt away during a fire, so that the beam can expand longitudinally into the slot to relieve stresses in the beam, without the beam buckling. Ridges on the bottom of the metallic core that engage the web at the bottom of the slot, prevent pullback of the connector from the slot, during a fire, to prevent the ceiling from sagging or drooping.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.