1. A linear ceiling panel mounting system comprising:

a carrier for mounting a panel on a ceiling, the carrier extending in a longitudinal direction and having at least one recess formed therein for receiving a linear ceiling panel, the recess extending through a cross-section of the carrier, the recess being defined by a surface comprising at least a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the recess separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion, and the second wall portion defining a flange extending at least partially into the recess providing a neck portion and a main portion for the recess, and wherein the neck portion has a distance d1 at its narrowest point separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion, and

the linear ceiling panel mounting system further comprises:

a linear ceiling panel having a flexible, resilient flange extending at an angle from an adjacent wall of the panel along all or part of an edge of the panel; wherein

The flexible, resilient flange is configured to be inserted into and retained within the recess of the bracket to thereby attach the panel to the bracket; and wherein

The flexible resilient flange is further configured to bend toward the adjacent wall to reduce the angle to a reduced angle as the flexible resilient flange passes through the neck of the recess to allow both the flexible resilient flange and a portion of the adjacent wall to be inserted through the neck of the recess; and

the flexible resilient flange is further configured to spring away from the adjacent wall once the flexible resilient flange disengages the neck portion of the recess to allow the flexible resilient flange to be retained within the recess.

2. The linear ceiling panel mounting system of claim 1, wherein the linear ceiling panel mounting system comprises a plurality of carriers, each carrier comprising a number of pairs of recesses formed therein, the recesses of each pair being mirror images of each other, and wherein the linear ceiling panel mounting system further comprises a plurality of linear ceiling panels, each panel having flexible resilient flanges extending along all or part of two opposing edges of the panel, the two recesses of each pair being configured to each receive a flexible resilient flange of a panel, the flexible resilient flanges of the panels being configured to be inserted into and retained in the recesses of the carriers to thereby attach the panels to the carriers.

3. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance d1 is less than 9mm and/or the distance d1 is three quarters to two times the combined thickness of the flexible, resilient flange and the adjacent wall.

4. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reduced angle is an acute angle.

5. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance d1 is less than 4.5 mm.

6. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the panel has a substantially "U" shaped cross section and comprises a central region and two side walls extending from the central region, the panel further comprising a flexible resilient flange extending from each of the side walls, the resilience of the flexible resilient flanges serving to maintain the angle between each flexible resilient flange and its corresponding side wall at 90 ° or less.

7. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 6, wherein the flexible, resilient flange is configured to flex towards the corresponding side wall of the panel to allow the flexible, resilient flange and an adjacent side wall of the panel to be inserted into the neck portion of the recess of the carrier, the angle β of the flexible, resilient flange relative to the adjacent side wall being reduced to 10 ° or less.

8. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 7, wherein the angle β of the flexible, resilient flange relative to the adjacent side wall is reduced to 5 ° or less.

9. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 7, wherein the angle β of the flexible, resilient flange relative to the adjacent side wall is reduced to less than 2 °.

10. A linear ceiling panel mounting system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flexible, resilient flanges of the panel are formed from one or more of:

a thermoformable nonwoven fibrous material; a metal material; a rubber material.

Background

Brackets for mounting ceiling panels are known in the art. The bracket is attached to or suspended from an upper portion of a structural ceiling or a wall adjacent to the structural ceiling. The ceiling panels are attached to the brackets and thus mounted on the ceiling.

Disclosure of Invention

The linear ceiling panels have a longitudinal length substantially greater than their width, the longitudinal length of the panels typically being at least three times the width of the panels, and typically at least five times the width of the panels.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved bracket suitable for mounting linear panels on a ceiling without the need for adhesives or mechanical fastening means, such as screws for attaching the ceiling panels to the bracket.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a carrier for mounting linear panels on a ceiling, the carrier extending in a longitudinal direction and having at least one recess formed therein for receiving a linear ceiling panel, the recess extending through a cross-section of the carrier, the recess being defined by a surface comprising at least a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the recess separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion, and the second wall portion defining a flange extending at least partially into the recess to provide a neck portion and a main portion for the recess, and wherein the neck portion has a distance d1 at its narrowest point separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion of less than 9 mm.

Advantageously, the distance d1 is less than 4.5mm and preferably less than 3.2 mm. Preferably, the distance d1 is at least 1.5 mm.

The bracket may include a plurality of recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel.

The bracket may include a plurality of identical recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel.

Alternatively, the bracket may include a pair of recesses formed therein, the recesses being mirror images of each other, and both recesses being configured to each receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel. Advantageously, the carrier may comprise several pairs of such recesses. Alternatively, the recesses in a pair may be different from each other.

The present invention also provides a linear ceiling panel mounting system comprising a carrier as defined above, and further comprising a linear ceiling panel having a flexible, resilient flange extending along all or part of an edge of the panel, the flexible, resilient flange being configured to be inserted into and retained in a recess of the carrier to thereby attach the linear ceiling panel to the carrier.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system may include a plurality of brackets, each bracket including a plurality of recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel, and further including a plurality of linear ceiling panels as defined above.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system may include a plurality of carriers, each carrier including a number of pairs of recesses formed therein, the recesses of each pair being mirror images of each other, and the system further includes a plurality of linear ceiling panels, each linear ceiling panel having flexible resilient flanges extending along all or part of two opposing edges of the panel, the two recesses of each pair being configured to each receive a flexible resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel, the flexible resilient flanges of the linear ceiling panels being configured to be inserted into and retained within the recesses of the carriers to thereby attach the linear ceiling panels to the carriers.

The distance d1 is preferably about three-quarters to two times the combined thickness of the flexible, resilient flange and the adjacent wall. Preferably, the distance d1 is about 0.75 to 1.00 times the combined thickness of the flexible, resilient flange and the adjacent wall.

The longitudinal length of each linear ceiling panel is preferably at least three times, and more preferably at least five times, the width of the panel.

In another embodiment of the invention, the linear ceiling panel mounting system comprises at least one carrier for mounting the linear panels on a ceiling, the carrier extending in a longitudinal direction and having at least one recess formed therein for receiving the linear ceiling panel, the recess extending through a cross-section of the carrier, the recess being defined by a surface comprising at least a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the recess separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion, and the second wall portion defining a flange extending at least partially into the recess to provide a neck portion and a main portion for the recess, and wherein the neck portion has a distance d1 at its narrowest point separating the first wall portion from the second wall portion, the linear ceiling panel mounting system further comprising a linear ceiling panel having a flexible, resilient flange extending along all or part of an edge of the panel, the flexible, resilient flange is configured to be inserted into and retained within the recess of the carrier to thereby attach the linear ceiling panel to the carrier, and wherein the distance d1 is about three-quarters to two times the combined thickness of the flexible, resilient flange and the adjacent wall.

Preferably, the distance d1 is about 0.75 to 1.00 times the combined thickness of the flexible, resilient flange and the adjacent wall.

The bracket may include a plurality of recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel.

The bracket may include a plurality of identical recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel.

Alternatively, the bracket may include a pair of recesses formed therein, the recesses being mirror images of each other, and both recesses being configured to each receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel. Advantageously, the carrier may comprise several pairs of such recesses. Alternatively, the recesses in a pair may be different from each other.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system may include a plurality of brackets, each bracket including a plurality of recesses formed therein, each recess configured to receive a flexible, resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel, and further including a plurality of linear ceiling panels as defined above.

Advantageously, the linear ceiling panel mounting system may comprise a plurality of carriers, each carrier comprising a number of pairs of recesses formed therein, the recesses of each pair being mirror images of each other, and the system further comprising a plurality of linear ceiling panels, each linear ceiling panel having flexible resilient flanges extending along all or part of two opposing edges of the panel, the two recesses of each pair being configured to each receive a flexible resilient flange of a linear ceiling panel, the flexible resilient flanges of the linear ceiling panels being configured to be inserted into and retained in the recesses of the carriers to thereby attach the linear ceiling panels to the carriers.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system of any of the embodiments described above may include at least one linear ceiling panel having a substantially "U" shaped cross section and including a central region and two side walls extending from the central region, the panel further including a flexible, resilient flange extending from each of the side walls, the resilience of the flexible, resilient flange serving to maintain an angle between each flexible, resilient flange and its corresponding side wall, preferably about 90 ° or less.

The flexible resilient flange is preferably configured to flex towards the corresponding side wall of the panel to allow the flexible resilient flange and the adjacent side wall of the panel to be inserted into the neck portion of the recess of the carrier, the angle β of the flexible resilient flange relative to the adjacent side wall thus being reduced to 10 ° or less, more preferably 5 ° or less, and most preferably less than 2 °.

The flexible resilient flange is preferably formed from one or more of:

a thermoformable nonwoven fibrous material; a metal material; a rubber material.

The combined thickness of the flexible resilient flange and the adjacent wall is preferably in the range of 2mm to 12mm, and more preferably in the range of 2mm to 6 mm.

The longitudinal length of each linear ceiling panel is preferably at least three times, and more preferably at least five times, the width of the panel.

Further features of the bracket and linear ceiling panel mounting system are found in the appended claims.

The present invention also provides a method of installing linear ceiling panels in a carrier, comprising the steps of: providing a linear ceiling panel mounting system as described above; bending the flexible, resilient flange of the panel towards an adjacent portion of the panel before or during installation of the panel; inserting the flexible resilient flange and the adjacent portion of the panel into the recess of the carrier such that the flexible resilient flange passes through the neck of the recess into the main portion of the recess, the resilient nature of the flexible resilient flange then urging the flexible resilient flange back to its original configuration once the flexible resilient flange is no longer constrained by the neck of the recess.

Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows an isometric view of a carrier according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows an isometric view of a further bracket according to the invention.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a bracket according to a further embodiment of the invention in combination with a linear ceiling panel to form a linear ceiling panel mounting system.

Fig. 4a-4c show side views of linear ceiling panels mounted in a carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 5 shows an isometric view of the linear ceiling panel mounting system of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 shows a side view of a further linear ceiling panel mounting system according to the invention.

Fig. 7 shows a side view of a further linear ceiling panel mounting system according to the invention.

Fig. 8a and 8b show side views of two further linear ceiling panel mounting systems according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a carrier 1 for mounting linear panels on a ceiling according to the invention. The bracket 1 extends in a longitudinal direction L and comprises a central portion 7 and two arms 3, 5 extending from the central portion and arranged along the longitudinal length of the bracket. The bracket has a cross-sectional shape in the form of an inverted frustum of a "V". Holes 9 are provided along the central portion of the bracket and/or the arms 3, 5 to allow the bracket to be attached to or suspended from a ceiling.

The carrier 1 is provided with a plurality of recesses 11, 13, 15, 17, 12, 14, 16, 18 arranged in pairs a, b, c, d along the length L of the carrier. Each pair of recesses comprises two recesses which are mirror images of each other. Typically, for ease of manufacture, each pair of recesses of the carrier will be identical, however, in this example, each pair of recesses a, b, c, d has a different shape to illustrate an example of a suitable recess configuration. Other recess configurations may also be suitable. Alternatively, the pair of recesses may include two recesses that are not mirror images of each other. In this case, the recesses of the pair may be the same or may be different.

Each recess extends through the cross-section of the carrier and is defined by a surface 21. The surface 21 comprises a first wall portion 22 and a second wall portion 24 with a recess therebetween. A second wall portion 24 of the surface 21 defines a flange 23 which extends into the recess, thereby providing the recess with the neck portion 19 and the main portion 20. The neck portion 19 is narrower than the main portion 20.

The neck-shaped portion 19 has a distance d1 of less than 9mm at its narrowest point separating the first wall portion 22 from the second wall portion 24. The flange 23 may have substantially square edges as illustrated by the pairs of recesses a, c, d, or may alternatively have rounded edges as illustrated by the pair of recesses b.

Although the bracket of FIG. 1 has^“Inverted, truncated cross-sections of V "shape, but inverted or non-inverted cross-sectional shapes such as" U "," V "," L "or" Ω "shapes are also possible. The bracket may present a space between the arms 3, 5, as shown in fig. 1, or may alternatively be formed by a solid bar having a cross-section as defined above. However, for reasons of manufacturing cost and ease, a bracket having a space between the arms is preferred over a solid bar.

Fig. 2 shows a bracket 31 for mounting linear panels on a ceiling in a further embodiment of the invention. In this example, the bracket 31 extends in the longitudinal direction L and comprises a central portion 7 and an arm 3 extending from the central portion and disposed along the longitudinal length L of the bracket 31. The bracket has a cross-sectional shape in the form of an inverted "L". Holes 9 are provided along the central portion 7 and/or arms 3 of the bracket to allow the bracket to be attached to or suspended from a structural ceiling.

The carrier 31 is provided with a plurality of recesses 11, 12, 15, 16 arranged along the length of the carrier. Typically, for ease of manufacture, each recess will be identical, however, in this example, the recesses 11, 12, 15, 16 each have a different shape to illustrate an example of a suitable recess configuration. Other recess configurations may also be suitable.

As described with respect to fig. 1, each recess extends through a cross-section of the bracket and is defined by a surface 21. The surface 21 comprises a first wall portion 22 and a second wall portion 24 with a recess therebetween. A second wall portion 24 of the surface 21 defines a flange 23 which extends into the recess, thereby providing the recess with the neck portion 19 and the main portion 20. The neck portion 19 is narrower than the main portion 20 and at its narrowest point the neck portion has a distance d1 of less than 9mm separating the first wall portion 22 from the second wall portion 24.

The flange 23 may have substantially square edges as exemplified by the recesses 12, 15 and 16, or may alternatively have rounded edges as shown by the recess 11.

Although the bracket of fig. 2 has an inverted "L" shaped cross-section, other cross-sectional shapes, such as those described above with respect to fig. 1, are also possible.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a linear ceiling panel mounting system 33 comprising a carrier 1 similar to that depicted in fig. 1. For simplicity, all recess pairs are shown as identical and in the form of pair b of fig. 1. It should be understood that the recess pairs may also have the form shown as recess pairs a, c or d or any other suitable recess shape. For ease of manufacture, each recess pair is preferably identical.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system 33 also includes linear ceiling panels 35. The panel 35 is shaped to facilitate mounting of the panel 35 to the carrier 1. In particular, the panel comprises a central region 37, two side walls 39, 41 and a flexible, resilient flange 43, 45 extending from each of the side walls 39, 41. The central region, side walls and flexible resilient flanges may be formed separately but are preferably integrally formed with respect to one another. The flexible resilient flanges 43, 45 of the ceiling panels 35 are formed of a flexible resilient material that allows the flexible resilient flanges to flex toward the side walls and spring back to their original position when released.

Fig. 4a-4c show linear ceiling panels installed in a carrier such as described with reference to fig. 3. Figure 4a shows the panel with the flexible, resilient flanges in their original position immediately prior to installation in the carrier. Fig. 4b shows the panel during installation and it can be seen that the flexible resilient flange is bent towards the side wall of the panel to enable the flexible resilient flange to pass through the narrow neck-shaped portion. Figure 4c shows the panel after it has been mounted to the carrier and the flexible resilient flanges have passed through the neck of the recess and have sprung back to their original position (within the extent allowed by the surface 21 defining the main portion 20 of the recess) due to their resilient nature.

The flexible resilient flanges 43, 45 are configured to fit within the corresponding recesses 11, 13 of the carrier. In this example, the angle β between the side wall and the flexible, resilient flange is about 35 °, but other angles β may be used, preferably in the range of 10 ° -100 °. Due to the nature of the material from which the flexible resilient flange is made, the flexible resilient flange retains some flexibility and is able to bend towards the side wall, as shown in fig. 4b, thereby reducing the angle β. The flexible resilient flange and its adjacent side wall can be inserted into its respective recess 11, 13 of the carrier as it can be sufficiently bent to allow the flexible resilient flange and its adjacent portion of the associated side wall to pass through the neck portion of the recess. Once inserted, the flexible, resilient flange will have a tendency to spring back to its original shape as shown in fig. 4c, thereby firmly wedging itself into the recess. Ideally, the flexible and resilient nature of the flexible resilient flange allows the flexible resilient flange to bend such that β is very small, preferably less than 10 °, and possibly near or up to zero. The flexible, resilient flange will then be substantially parallel to the side wall and almost or practically contact the side wall. In this configuration, the flexible resilient flange and the adjacent side wall can be inserted together through the narrow neck portion 19 of the recess. The neck 19 needs to have a clearance d1 large enough to allow insertion of the flexible resilient flange and the adjacent side wall and therefore should be at least the thickness of the flexible resilient flange plus the thickness of the adjacent side wall for a substantially incompressible material that is flexible enough to allow the flexible resilient flange to flex such that β is substantially zero. Once the flexible resilient flange is no longer constrained by the neck portion, the flexible resilient flange will spring back to its original shape to the extent allowed by the surface 21 of the main portion 20 defining the recess. Over time, and particularly if the ceiling panels are subjected to moisture or excess heat, the flexible, resilient flanges may begin to "spread out", i.e. bend away from the side walls, the angle β tending to increase. However, due to the configuration of the recess, the flexible resilient flange is constrained and cannot "unfold" due to the surface 21 defining the recess. Thus, the flexible, resilient flange of the panel is securely held in the recess without the need for additional holding means such as adhesives or mechanical fasteners (e.g. screws or bendable locking lips provided on the bracket).

Although the panel central region 37 is shown as being substantially parallel to the carrier in this example, the panel central region 37 may be angled relative to the carrier. Similarly, the panel side walls may be disposed at an angle other than 90 ° relative to the panel central region 37.

The linear ceiling panels 35 are mounted in the carrier 1 such that they extend longitudinally in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the carrier 1. Fig. 5 shows a linear ceiling panel mounting system comprising a plurality of carriers 1, which are suspended from a ceiling, and panels 35. The spacing between each recess of a pair of recesses determines the width of the linear ceiling panels, and the spacing between pairs of recesses determines the spacing between adjacent linear panels. These spacing parameters will be determined according to the building requirements of the building, including, for example, its required acoustic properties and cooling mechanisms.

Fig. 6 shows a side view of a linear ceiling panel mounting system 50 including a bracket 31 similar to that depicted in fig. 2. For simplicity, all of the recesses 51a, 51b, 51c are shown as being identical and in the form of the recess 12 of fig. 2. It will be appreciated that the recess may also have the form shown as recess 11, 15 or 16 or any other suitable recess shape. The recesses may alternatively be in the form of mirror images of those depicted, or may comprise pairs of recesses such as those shown in fig. 1 and 3.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system 50 also includes linear ceiling panels 47 in the form of baffles. The panels 47 are shaped to facilitate mounting of the panels to the carrier 31. In particular, the panel includes a flap portion 53 and a flexible, resilient flange 49 extending from the flap portion 53. As described with respect to fig. 3, the flexible, resilient flange 49 is formed of a flexible, resilient material. The flap portion 53 and the flexible resilient flange 49 may be formed separately but are preferably integrally formed with respect to one another.

The linear ceiling panels 47 are mounted in the carrier 31 such that they extend longitudinally in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the carrier 31 (i.e. through the plane of the paper in fig. 3) in a manner similar to the panels depicted in fig. 5. The longitudinal length of the panel 47 is preferably at least 3 × (l)₁+l₂) Wherein l is₁Is the length of the baffle portion 53, and₂is elastic of flexibilityThe length of the flange 49, and more preferably at least 5 × (l)₁+l₂)。

With respect to the linear ceiling panel mounting system 33 of fig. 3, the flexible, resilient flanges 49 of the linear ceiling panel mounting system 50 are configured to be received and retained within the corresponding recesses 51a, 51b, 51c of the bracket 31. In this manner, the panels 47 can be mounted on the carrier 31 without the need for adhesives or mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws).

Fig. 7 shows a side view of an alternative linear ceiling panel mounting system 55. The linear ceiling panel mounting system 55 includes a bracket 69 that is similar to the bracket depicted in fig. 1 and 3, except that the recesses 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67 that make up the pair of recesses e, f, g are mirror images of the recesses 11 and 13, respectively, as shown in fig. 3. Likewise, it will be appreciated that the pairs of recesses e, f, g may also be mirror images of the recesses 12 and 14 (recess pair a) or of the recesses 15 and 17 (recess pair c) or of the recesses 16 and 18 (recess pair d) as appears in fig. 1. Any other suitable recess shape may alternatively be used. Also, the pairs of recesses e, f, g are each preferably identical for ease of manufacture.

The linear ceiling panel mounting system 55 also includes linear ceiling panels 71. The panel 71 is shaped to facilitate mounting the panel to the bracket 69. In particular, the panel 71 includes a central region 73, two side walls 75, 77, and flexible, resilient flanges 79, 81 extending from each of the side walls 75, 77. The flexible resilient flanges 79, 81 are formed of a flexible resilient material as described in relation to figure 3. The central region side wall and the flexible resilient flange may be formed separately but are preferably integrally formed with respect to one another. However, unlike the previous examples which extend inwardly from the side walls, the flexible resilient flanges 79, 81 extend outwardly from the side walls 75, 77, as can be seen in figure 7. Likewise, the flexible resilient flanges 79, 81 are sufficiently flexible to flex toward the side walls when the flexible resilient flanges and their adjacent side walls are inserted into their respective recesses 57, 59 via the neck portions of the recesses. Once inserted, the flexible resilient flange springs back to its original shape to the extent allowed by the surface 21 of the main portion 20 defining the recess. Likewise, the flexible resilient flanges 79, 81 are configured to fit and be retained within the corresponding recesses 57, 59 of the bracket 69, with the surface 21 securely retaining the flexible resilient flanges in the recesses. With regard to the previous example, the linear ceiling panels 71 are mounted in the brackets 69 such that they extend longitudinally in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the brackets 69 (i.e., through the plane of the paper in fig. 6). Although the central region 73 of the panel 71 is shown in this example as being substantially parallel to the carrier, the central region 73 of the panel may be angled relative to the carrier. Similarly, the panel side walls 75, 77 may be disposed at an angle other than 90 ° relative to the panel central region 73.

Fig. 8a and 8b show side views of further alternative linear ceiling panel mounting systems 83, 85. Fig. 8a shows a linear ceiling panel mounting system 83 which includes a bracket 70 similar to that shown in fig. 7, but with differently shaped recesses 52, 54, and also includes a linear ceiling panel 86. The panels 86 are similar to those described in relation to figure 7 except that flexible resilient flanges 87, 88 are formed to extend at substantially right angles from side walls 89, 90 (i.e. in this example β is about 90 °). Fig. 8b shows a linear ceiling panel mounting system 85 comprising a bracket 72 similar to that shown in fig. 3, but with differently shaped recesses 56, 58, and further comprising a linear ceiling panel 91. The panel 91 is similar to those described in relation to figure 3 except that flexible resilient flanges 92, 93 extend at substantially right angles from the side walls 94, 95 (i.e. in this example β is about 90 °). Likewise, the flexible, resilient flanges 87, 88 of the panels 86, 91 of fig. 8a and 8b are retained in the recesses of the brackets 70, 72 by the surfaces 21 of the recesses without the need for adhesives or mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws). For the previous example, the linear ceiling panels 86, 91 are mounted in the carriers 70, 72 such that they extend longitudinally in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the carriers 70, 72 (i.e. through the plane of the paper in fig. 8a and 8 b).

Although a specific angle β is described above, the panels may be formed such that the angle β between the flexible, resilient flange of the panel and the adjacent side wall may be any angle that allows the flexible, resilient flange to remain in the recess of the carrier in its initial position. A suitable range would be, for example, 10 ≦ β ≦ 100.

The flexible resilient flange (and indeed the panel as a whole) may be formed from any suitable flexible resilient material. Non-limiting examples of such materials may include fibrous materials, including thermoformable nonwoven fibrous materials; a metal; a mixture of metal and fibrous material; rubber, and the like.