BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention is in the area of panel mounting systems.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Various ceiling panel mounting systems are disclosed in the prior art—some suspended, and some flush-mounted. In the suspended ceiling (also often referred to as a “dropped” ceiling) prior art, the ceiling panels are typically not attached to the mounting system, but instead merely lie in square or rectangular openings created by a grid system of supporting members. The ceiling panels are sometimes attached to the supporting members, but this is not typical. The system installer can also typically adjust the distance of the suspended ceiling from the existing ceiling or framing studs by varying the length of the hanger rods. However, adjustment of the panel position in the horizontal dimension, as in the invention, is not disclosed in the suspended ceiling prior art.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,971,617 to Smith; 3,596,425 to Kodaras; and 3,995,823 to Hensel disclose suspended ceiling systems that are adjustable with respect to the vertical distance between the suspended ceiling and the overlying surface. But these systems do not allow for horizontal adjustment of the panel after it has been connected to the support brackets, as in the invention. In these patents, the interlocking bracket structure connects support members to one another independent of the ceiling panels, and does not attach the panels to the support members as in the invention.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,230,463 to Bodine; 3,969,865 to Andersen; and 4,189,893 to Kuhr disclose suspended ceiling panel mounting systems wherein the ceiling panel itself locks into the support members. However, the invention is distinctly different from these systems. For example, Bodine&#39;s ceiling panel is not truly adjustable after installation—instead, the extra clearance provided by its unusual tiered cutout is only intended to facilitate panel installation. As the panel is installed, it orients itself such that horizontal adjustment is not possible. Further, in Bodine the panel itself interlocks with the support member, rather than having a bracket attached to the back of the panel that interlocks with a bracket attached to the ceiling, as in the invention. These differences—i.e., no true horizontal adjustability after installation and a no interlocking bracket on the back of the ceiling panel—also apply to the systems of Andersen and Kuhr.  
         [0007]     Flush-mounted ceiling panel attachment systems, also known as “surface-mounted” systems, are also known in the art—but these also generally employ a grid system of intersecting support members which has a different physical structure than that of the invention. No flush-mounted systems disclose adjustment of the ceiling panel horizontal position after attachment to the supporting members, as in the invention.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,687 to Frawley discloses a flush-mounted system wherein the mounting brackets interlock tightly, and do not allow for horizontal adjustment or “wiggle room” as in the invention.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,205,732 to Rebman; 5,611,185 to Wilz; and 4,624,088 to Arent show surface-mounted systems in which the interlocking bracket structure connects support members to one another independent of the ceiling panels, and does not attach the panels to the support members as in the invention. In addition, in these systems the ceiling panels lie in the grid openings as in a typical suspended ceiling—the only difference being that in Rebman and Wilz, the lower face members snap into the support structure to hold the panel after it has been put in place.  
         [0010]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,497 to Meschnig discloses an aspect of adjustability in attaching a ceiling panel to an overlying surface. However, in Meschnig&#39;s device the “adjustability” applies to alignment of a bolt through the panel with a receiving nut member attached to the overlying surface. Specifically, the nut member has a beveled, cone-shaped entry that guides the bolt into the nut, even though the nut and bolt may not be perfectly aligned. Moreover, once the panel is attached with the bolt, its position can no longer be adjusted. Thus, this structure is different than that of the invention.  
         [0011]     No prior art patents, suspended or flush-mounted, disclose the invention&#39;s approach and the physical structure used to accomplish it—that is, interlocking brackets that attach a ceiling panel to an overlying surface such that after the ceiling panel is initially attached, its position can be adjusted if needed before being finally “tacked down”.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The invention is a panel mounting system for mounting ceiling and other panels, wherein a bracket attached to the ceiling or other surface interlocks loosely but positively with a bracket attached to the panel, such that the position of the panel on the mounting surface can be adjusted before the panel is finally tacked down. In a ceiling panel application, the bracket supports the weight of the panel while allowing for adjustment of the panel, thus facilitating installation of the panel.  
         [0013]     Several objects and advantages of the invention are:  
         [0014]     It is an object of the invention to provide a panel mounting system that secures the panel positively at a predetermined distance from the mounting surface, yet still provides some “wiggle room” in the other dimension (i.e., parallel to the mounting surface) so that the position of the panel can be adjusted after initial installation.  
         [0015]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a system that, via the “wiggle room” in the interlocking brackets, allows the user to correct for any mismeasurement or misalignment of the brackets during installation, and still tack down the panel in exactly the desired position. Thus absolute precision is not required when installing the brackets on the panel and mounting surface respectively, and this makes installation of the panels faster and easier.  
         [0016]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a system wherein one part of the interlocking bracket can be quickly and easily attached to the mounting surface.  
         [0017]     It is another object of the invention to provide a system wherein the other part of the interlocking bracket can be quickly and easily attached to the panel.  
         [0018]     It is yet another object of the invention to provide a device that is relatively easy and cost-effective to manufacture, and that can be made from a variety of materials.  
         [0019]     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the female interlocking bracket of the system.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the male interlocking bracket of the system.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the male and female interlocking brackets when assembled together, and when the male interlocking bracket is centered within the female interlocking bracket.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the male and female interlocking brackets when assembled together, and when the male interlocking bracket is at the extreme right-hand position within the female interlocking bracket.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the male and female interlocking brackets when assembled together, and when the male interlocking bracket is at the extreme left-hand position within the female interlocking bracket.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the male and female interlocking brackets, illustrating the holes located thereon for attaching the brackets to the panel and mounting surface respectively.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the female interlocking bracket, showing the position of the mounting screws when installed.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the male interlocking bracket, showing the position of the mounting screws when installed.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the female interlocking bracket, attached via screws to a ceiling surface.  
         [0029]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the male interlocking bracket, attached via screws to a panel to be mounted.  
         [0030]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment, wherein the male interlocking bracket is attached via adhesive to a panel to be mounted. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]     The following provides a list of the reference characters used in the drawings: 
         10 . Female interlocking bracket      11 . Upper wall      12   a &amp; b.  Side walls      13 . Lower wall      14 . Opening      15 . Left-side channel      16 . Right-side channel      17 . Male interlocking bracket      18 . Upper member      19 . Post      20 . Lower member      21 . Lower wall hole      22 . Upper wall hole      23 . Upper member hole      24 . Lower member hole      25 . Screw      26 . Ceiling      27 . Panel      28 . Adhesive      29 . Wall        
 
         [0052]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a female interlocking bracket  10  of the system. Female interlocking bracket  10  has an upper wall  11 , two opposing side walls  12   a &amp; b,  and a lower wall  13  having an opening  14  therein, said opening  14  extending male interlocking bracket  17 . Female interlocking bracket  10  also has through-openings located thereon for the purpose of securing female interlocking bracket  10  to a mounting surface, and although these openings are not shown in the  FIG. 1  cross-sectional view, they will be illustrated in later figures. Together, upper wall  11 , side walls  12   a &amp; b,  and lower wall  13  form a left-side channel  15  and a right-side channel  16 .  
         [0053]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a male interlocking bracket  17  of the system. Male interlocking bracket  17  has an upper member  18  connected by a post  19  to a substantially parallel lower member  20 . It can be appreciated that post  19  extends along the longitudinal dimension of male interlocking bracket  17 . Male interlocking bracket  17  also has through-openings located thereon for the purpose of securing male interlocking bracket  17  to a panel, and although these openings are not shown in the  FIG. 2  cross-sectional view, they will be illustrated in later figures.  
         [0054]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  when the two brackets are assembled together, and when upper member  18  of male interlocking bracket  17  is centered within the channel in female interlocking bracket  10 —that is, the channel comprised of left-side channel  15  and right-side channel  16 . Female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  thus interlock together, and when upper wall  11  is attached to a mounting surface and lower member  20  is attached to a panel, the panel will be held to the mounting surface.  
         [0055]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  when the brackets are assembled together—but in this view, upper member  18  of male interlocking bracket  17  is at the extreme right-hand position within female interlocking bracket  10 . In other words, the right-hand edge of upper member  18  is proximate to side wall  12   b,  and the right-hand portion of upper member  18  is substantially within right-side channel  16 . The left-hand portion of upper member  18  is substantially above opening  14 , although it can be seen that the left-hand edge of upper member  18  remains within left-side channel  15 , such that female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  remain together even when upper member  18  is at one end of its “travel”.  
         [0056]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  when the brackets are assembled together—but in this view, upper member  18  of male interlocking bracket  17  is at the extreme left-hand position within female interlocking bracket  10 . In other words, the left-hand edge of upper member  18  is proximate to side wall  12   a,  and the left-hand portion of upper member  18  is substantially within left-side channel  15 . The right-hand portion of upper member  18  is substantially above opening  14 , although it can be seen that the right-hand edge of upper member  18  remains within right-side channel  16 , such that female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  remain together even when upper member  18  is at the other end of its “travel”.  
         [0057]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17 , when the brackets are not assembled together. It can be seen that female interlocking bracket  10  and male interlocking bracket  17  are generally straight strips, such that the brackets can be assembled together by placing one end of upper member  18  at one end of the channel formed in female interlocking bracket  10 , and then sliding upper member  18  into the channel. On female interlocking bracket  10 , a plurality of lower wall holes  21  are located through lower wall  13 , so that fasteners can be used to attach female interlocking bracket  10  to a mounting surface. A plurality of upper wall holes  22  are located through upper wall  11 , substantially opposite lower wall holes  21 . Lower wall holes  21  and upper wall holes  22  are suitably sized so that the fasteners used will pass through lower holes  21  but not completely through upper wall holes  22 , thus holding female interlocking bracket  10  to the mounting surface.  
         [0058]     On male interlocking bracket  17 , a plurality of upper member holes  23  are located through upper member  18 , so that fasteners can be used to attach male interlocking bracket  17  to a panel. A plurality of lower member holes  24  are located through lower member  20 , substantially opposite upper member holes  23 . Upper member holes  23  and lower member holes  24  are suitably sized so that the fasteners used will pass through upper member holes  23  but not completely through lower member holes  24 , thus holding male interlocking bracket  17  to the panel. It can be seen that each set of upper member hole  23  and lower member hole  24  also go through post  19 , thus interrupting post  19  at various points along the length of male interlocking bracket  17 . Male interlocking bracket  17  is still held together, of course, by the portions of post  19  which remain.  
         [0059]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of female interlocking bracket  10 , further illustrating lower wall holes  21  and upper wall holes  22 , and the position of screws  25  which serve to attach female interlocking bracket  10  to a mounting surface. It can be seen that the diameter of lower wall hole  21  is slightly larger than the diameter of screw  25 , so that the head of screw  25  passes through lower wall hole  21 . The beveled side of the head of screw  25  then grounds itself against the beveled side of upper wall hole  22  in “countersunk” fashion, so that screw  25  does not protrude into the channel in female interlocking bracket  10  and impede male interlocking bracket  17  as the user slides male interlocking bracket  17  into the channel.  
         [0060]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of male interlocking bracket  17 , further illustrating upper member holes  23  and lower member holes  24 , and the position of screws  25  which serve to attach male interlocking bracket  17  to a panel. It can be seen that the diameter of upper member hole  23  is slightly larger than the diameter of screw  25 , so that the head of screw  25  passes through upper member hole  23 . The beveled side of the head of screw  25  then grounds itself against the beveled side of lower member hole  24  in “countersunk” fashion, so that screw  25  does not protrude above lower member  20  and impede male interlocking bracket  17  as the user slides male interlocking bracket  17  into the channel in female interlocking bracket  10 .  
         [0061]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of female interlocking bracket  10  in position against a ceiling surface  26 , and attached to ceiling surface  26  via screws  25 . The arrow at one end of female interlocking bracket  10  indicates the longitudinal direction of travel when the user slides one end of male interlocking bracket  17  into the channel in female interlocking bracket  10 .  
         [0062]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of male interlocking bracket  17 , in position against a panel  27 , and attached to panel  27  via screws  25 . The arrow at one end of male interlocking bracket  17  indicates the longitudinal direction of travel when the user slides that end of male interlocking bracket  17  into the channel in female interlocking bracket  10 .  
         [0063]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment, wherein male interlocking bracket  17  is attached to panel  27  via adhesive  28 , instead of screws. It should be understood that female interlocking bracket  10  can be similarly attached to ceiling  26 , using adhesive instead of screws.  
         [0064]     Using the system to install panel  27  against ceiling  26  involves the following steps:  
         [0065]     Female interlocking bracket  10  is placed where desired against ceiling  26 , and attached using screws  25  or other means. Male interlocking bracket  17  is placed where desired against panel  27 , and attached using screws  25  or other means. Panel  27  is lifted to ceiling  26 , and one end of upper member  18  of male interlocking member  17  is placed at one end of the channel formed in female interlocking bracket  10 . Upper member  18  is then slid into the channel until upper member  18  grounds itself against the top of wall  29  where ceiling  26  meets wall  29 . Panel  27  is now secured at a certain distance from ceiling  26 , and the weight of panel  26  is supported by the interlocking brackets. However, due to the “wiggle room” provided by the system, the position of panel  27  parallel to ceiling  26  can still be adjusted if needed, to correct for any mismeasurement or misalignment of the brackets that occurred during the attachment of the brackets to the ceiling and panel in either of two directions (north, south, east, or west). The user then tacks down the panel in the desired position.  
         [0066]     While the above descriptions contain many specificities, these shall not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Examples of just a few of the possible variations follow:  
         [0067]     The amount of “wiggle room” provided by the loose fit of the male interlocking member within the female interlocking member can vary from that shown and described. To provide greater wiggle room, the width of the female interlocking member could be increased—and to provide less wiggle room, the width of the female interlocking member could be decreased. Alternatively, the width of the interlocking portion of the male interlocking member can be decreased to increase the amount of wiggle room, or increased to decrease the amount of wiggle room.  
         [0068]     Of course, another way to vary the “wiggle room is to increase or de crease the width of the opening in the bottom wall of the female interlocking member shown in the  FIG. 1  view, such that the male interlocking member would have more or less travel from side to side of the opening in the bottom wall of the female interlocking member. The “wiggle room could also be varied by varying the thickness of the post portion of the male interlocking member—the relatively thin post shown in the  FIG. 2  view could be made thicker to decrease the male interlocking member&#39;s travel from side to side of the opening in the bottom wall of the female interlocking member, or could be made even thinner to increase travel.  
         [0069]     The distance that the panel is held from the mounting surface, which can be thought of as the “stand-off distance”, can vary from the relatively close distance enabled by the low-profile interlocking brackets shown in the drawings. In other words, the stand-off distance can be greater or lesser than that shown. It has been determined that a total distance of ⅜ inch, as measured from the bottom of the lower member of the male interlocking bracket to the top of the upper wall of the female interlocking bracket when the brackets are engaged together as in  FIG. 3 , is a suitable stand-off distance for many applications.  
         [0070]     The degree of play in the stand-off distance can be different than the relatively little play shown in the drawings. Said another way, although one objective of the invention is to hold the panel securely against the mounting surface and only permit panel movement parallel to the mounting surface, it can be appreciated that greater play in the stand-off distance can be achieved by increasing the height of the female interlocking bracket; i.e., increasing the distance between the top and bottom interior walls of the bracket shown in  FIG. 1 . Alternatively, greater play in the stand-off dimension can be achieved by decreasing the thickness of the interlocking portion of the male interlocking bracket.  
         [0071]     Different attachment means can be used, besides the screws and adhesive bonding means shown and described. In addition, the number of screws or other fasteners used can be different than the number shown and described.  
         [0072]     The number, position, size, and shape of the holes used for attaching the female interlocking bracket to a mounting surface or panel, and the male interlocking bracket to a mounting surface or panel, can be different than that shown in the figures.  
         [0073]     Adhesive can be used as a bonding means, as shown and described, or some other bonding means can be used. Alternatively, the brackets can be integrated into (e.g., molded into) the mounting surface or the panel, or both.  
         [0074]     The positions of the brackets can be reversed—that is, the female interlocking bracket can be attached to the panel instead of the mounting surface, and the male interlocking bracket can be attached to the mounting surface instead of the panel.  
         [0075]     The length of the female interlocking bracket, the male interlocking bracket, or both, can be different than that shown. The width of the male interlocking bracket, the male interlocking bracket, or both, can also be different than that shown—so long as the male interlocking bracket remains insertable into the female interlocking bracket, and provides the desired amount of “wiggle room” back and forth. It has been determined that a female interlocking bracket width of 3 inches is suitable for many applications.  
         [0076]     The number of interlocking brackets used in the system to attach a panel to a mounting surface can vary, from only one female and one male bracket to a plurality of brackets positioned at various points on the panel and mounting surface. When a plurality of brackets are used, it can be appreciated that the “wiggle room” afforded by the system allows the user to mount panels even though the alignment of the bracket sets, relative to each other, might not be perfect.  
         [0077]     The male and female interlocking brackets can be made from many different materials, including but not limited to various plastics and metals.  
         [0078]     Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
A panel mounting system for mounting ceiling and other panels is disclosed, wherein a bracket attached to the ceiling or other surface interlocks loosely but positively with a bracket attached to the panel, such that the position of the panel on the mounting surface can be adjusted before the panel is finally tacked down. In a ceiling panel application, the bracket supports the weight of the panel while allowing for adjustment of the panel, thus facilitating installation of the panel.