FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a mounting system for mounting panels to a building structure and to a method for installing the panels. A clamping tool for facilitating the installation of the mounting system is also provided. The invention has particular application, but not exclusively, to mounting false ceilings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most commercial and office buildings nowadays have a multi-story cement slab construction and suspended false ceilings are commonly utilized in provide for lighting, sprinkler systems, pipes, conduits and cabling in the ceiling space. False ceilings, however, are also used in structures with timber and/or metal building frames.

The mounting systems used for mounting of the respective panels forming these ceilings typically comprise parallel tracks to which are mounted battens. The tracks and battens are also known as "primary" and "secondary" rails, respectively. The panels are fixed to the battens by suitable adhesives and/or mechanical fasteners. Brackets are used to suspend the tracks from the ceiling thereby distancing the tracks from the actual building structure, and clips are spaced apart along the tracks for fixing the battens to the tracks. The clips are mechanically secured to the tracks (e.g.-, by fasteners) through aligned pre-formed apertures and/or lock into position in the tracks. However, placing the clips in position along the tracks is time consuming and expands inventory by the need to supply the tracks as well as the clips.

Such track and batten mounting systems are also used for laying floors and can be used to clad walls. The tracks of such systems can also be mounted directly to the underlying building structure.

Fixing the track and batten components in place often requires a suitably qualified installer to climb a mobile scaffold to reach the building structure to which the false ceiling is to be suspended and/or during the construction of mounting system. For this purpose, a ladder can be used although occupational health and safety ("OH & S") regulations often require the use of mobile scaffolding on many construction sites. As there is often a number of steps to install mounting systems of the above type, an installer often has to climb up and down the scaffold and/or reposition the scaffolding as the construction of the mounting system progresses.

Generally, the installer needs to work their way around the work space at least once to install fixings to which the tracks are to be mounted, and then mount the tracks prior to again maneuvering around the work space to fix the battens to the tracks at height, This process is highly labour intensive and involves significant safety risks that are inherent with the use of scaffolds, ladders and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly stated, the present invention relates to a mounting system for mounting one or more panels to a building structure.

In particular, in an aspect of the invention there is provided an elongate track adapted to be mounted to a building structure for mounting of at least one panel to the building structure, the track having at least one row of integrally formed clips, respective of the clips in the row being spaced apart from one another along the track and being adapted for engagement with respective battens to fix the battens crosswise relative to the track, for fixing of the panel to the battens.

Typically, the clips in respective of the rows project from the track in essentially the same direction.

Typically, the clips in each row are spaced apart along the track at regular intervals.

Typically, the clips in each row are orientated substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the track.

Typically, each track has two rows of the clips which are disposed opposite one another, and the clips in one of the rows are aligned with the clips in the other of the rows thereby providing respective pairs of the clips for engagement with a respective one of the battens. Typically, each track has opposed longitudinal side walls and the clips in one of the rows are extensions of one of the side walls of the track and the clips in the other of the rows are extensions of the other of the side walls.

Typically, each track is an elongate channel section with a longitudinal channel defined between the opposed side walls of the track.

Typically, respective of the clips of each track are adapted for snap-lock connection to the battens.

Typically, each batten has longitudinal opposed side walls and a respective longitudinal flange projecting from each said side wall, and the clips of respective of the tracks are adapted to hook around the flanges of a respective said batten to fix the batten to the track.

Typically, each batten is a channel section with a longitudinal channel defined between the side walls of the batten. The flanges of the batten generally project from the side walls toward each other, and the clips in a row of clips of a respective track can be adapted for insertion into the channel to hook around the flanges of the batten. In other embodiments the flanges can project away from each other.

Typically, the battens each have a bearing surface to which the panels are fixed. The bearing surface can be provided by an outer surface of a floor portion of respective of the battens. Moreover, in some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the battens is formed to present its said bearing surface closer to the building structure than an immediately adjacent said batten to each side of that batten. This arrangement facilitates the forming of a joint along the bearing surface of this batten between the edge margins of adjacent panels (e.g., using fibre tape and jointing cement along the edge margins), essentially without forming a raised ridge. That is, when the edge margins of the panels are fixed to the bearing surface of the batten, a recess is formed by the panels along the batten which is typically filled by jointing compound or the like such that joint is essentially flush with the exposed outer face of the panels. This batten can, for instance, be slimmer than the adjacent battens in depth and may also be broader in width. In another aspect of the invention there is provided a mounting system for mounting at least one panel to a building structure, the system comprising:

a plurality of elongate tracks mounted to the structure at predetermined intervals in a side by side relationship to one another, each said track having at least one row of integrally formed clips, the clips in the row being spaced apart from one another along the track, and at least some of the clips in the row are aligned with at least some of the clips of a said row of at least one other said track; and

a plurality of battens mounted to the aligned clips of the tracks whereby the battens are fixed to the tracks by the clips crosswise relative to the tracks and are spaced apart from one another along the tracks, the panel having opposite side faces, and respective of the battens are adapted for fixing of the panel to the battens such that one of the faces of the panel faces the building structure.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for mounting at least one panel to a building structure, comprising:

mounting a plurality of elongate tracks to the building structure at predetermined . intervals in a side by side relationship to one another, each of the tracks having at least one row of integrally formed clips, the clips in the row being spaced apart from one another along the track, and at least some of the clips in the row are aligned with at least some of the clips of a said row of at least one other said track;

mounting a plurality of battens to the aligned clips of the tracks whereby the battens are fixed to the tracks crosswise relative to the tracks by the clips;

providing the at least one panel, the panel having opposite side faces; and

fixing the panel to the battens such that one of the faces of the panel faces the building structure.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a mounting system for mounting a plurality of panels to a building structure, each of the panels having opposite faces, the system comprising a plurality of battens mounted to the building structure at predetermined intervals in a side by side relationship to one another, respective of the battens having a bearing surface to which the panels are fixed in use such that one of the faces of each of the panels faces the building structure, and at least one of the battens is configured to present its said bearing surface closer to the building structure than an immediately adjacent said batten to each side of that batten, for forming a recess between opposed edge margins of adjacent said panels when fixed to the bearing surface of the one said batten, the recess lying along the one said batten to provide for the formation of a joint between the panels.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for mounting a plurality of panels to a building structure, comprising;

providing at least two panels, each of the panels having opposite side faces;

mounting a plurality of battens to the building structure at predetermined intervals in a side by side relationship to one another, respective of the battens having a bearing surface to which the panels are fixed in use, and at least one of the battens is formed to present its said bearing surface closer to the building structure than an immediately adjacent said batten to each side of that batten;

fixing the panels to the bearing surfaces of the battens whereby an edge margin of each of the panels lies on the bearing surface of the one said batten and such that one of the faces of each of the panels faces the building structure, to form a recess between the edge margins that lies along the one said batten; and

forming a joint along the recess to join the panels.

A hand operated tool adapted for engagement with at least one of a batten and a track of a panel mounting system embodied by the invention can be used to facilitate lifting of the batten or track to an elevation of a height suitable for construction of the mounting system.

Accordingly, in another aspect there is provided a hand operated tool for engagement with at least one of a batten and a track for a suspended panel mounting system, the clamping tool comprising;

a shaft;

an engagement device for engagement with the batten or the track and being mounted to a top end of the shaft, the device being adapted to hold the batten or the track upon being engaged with the batten or the track allowing the batten or track to be raised with operation of the shaft to an elevation of a height for construction of the panel mounting system.

Typically, the engagement device consists of a clamping arrangement comprising a pair of jaws arranged to receive the batten or the track between them, at least one of the jaws being moveable to clamp, and thereby hold, the batten or the track against the other of the jaws upon the batten or track being located between the jaws. Typically, the other of the jaws is a stationary jaw and the tool further comprises: biasing means arranged to bias the moveable said jaw into a resting position; and an actuator for being operated to pivot the movable jaw about a pivot axis from the resting position to a clamping position against the action of the biasing means.

r

' In another aspect there is also provided a batten for a batten and track type panel mounting system, the batten consisting of an elongated body with a longitudinal channel defined by opposing side walls and a floor interconnecting the side walls, a flange being formed on a top end of each of the side walls, the flanges projecting transversely from the side walls and extending along the side walls for engagement with clips of the one or more tracks of the mounting system to fix the batten to the track, respective of the side walls including an outwardly directed shoulder, an elongate opening to the channel being defined between the flanges, and the shoulders of the batten projecting away from each other whereby the floor of the batten is wider than the opening to the channel.

In some embodiments, the flanges of the batten extend transversely from the opposite side walls toward each other while in other embodiments, the flanges can extend away from one another.

Typically, the side walls of the batten below the shoulders are substantially parallel to one another.

In embodiments of the invention where panel(s) are to be mounted overhead, brackets can be used to suspend the tracks of a mounting system as described herein from an overlying building structure to e.g., form a false ceiling. Hence, a mounting system as described herein can further comprise a plurality of brackets mounted to the relevant building structure wherein the tracks are supported by the brackets so as to be suspended from the building structure.

The panel can be a wall, floor or ceiling panel or, for example, a decorative panel that is spaced from a ceiling or wall for decorative purposed. Accordingly, the building structure can, for example, be the ceiling, wall or floor of a building, and can comprise a cement slab, building frame (e.g., a metal or timber frame) or other building structure.

While battens are commonly fabricated from timber or metal, in the context of the present invention, the battens of embodiments as described herein can be fabricated from any material deemed suitable for the intended purpose such as a metal (e.g., a suitable metal alloy or steel) or a stiff plastics material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE). Similarly, embodiments of the tracks of the invention to which the furring strips are fixed can also be fabricated from a metal or suitable plastics material such as HDPE. Moreover, while the term "batten" is typically used in connection with ceilings and floors, in the context of the present invention the term expressly extends to use with walls and like upright structures such as dividers and partitions.

By providing the tracks of a mounting system with integrally formed clips as described herein for fixing of the battens to the tracks, substantial time savings can be achieved by avoiding the need to individually secure the clips in the required positions along the tracks and as a result, the cost of installation may be reduced. Moreover, the clips can be spaced at regular intervals along the tracks to correspond with the common spacing of wall studs, floor, wall and/or ceiling beams, and/or joists and battens in timber or metal building frames so that the battens of the mounting system can be readily fitted to the tracks at the required spacings. Further, by facilitating the provision of a substantially flush joint between adjacent panels with the use of a modified batten as described herein, an improved overall appearance of the resulting panel structure may be obtained.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as

"comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers, integers or steps.

All publications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the invention as it existed in Australia or elsewhere before the priority date of this application The features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention together with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a panel mounting system embodied by the invention for providing a false ceiling;

Figure 2 is partial side view of a track of the mounting system of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 3 is an end profile view of the track of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is an end profile view of a batten of the mounting system of Fig.1;

Figure 5 is an end view of another embodiment, of a batten useful in a mounting system embodied by the invention;

Figure 6 is a partial side perspective view of a bracket of mounting system of Fig. 1 for suspending the tracks of the mounting system from overlying building structure.

Figures 7 and 7A show end and perspective views of yet another batten useful in the mounting system of Fig. 1;

Figures 8 is a partial perspective view of anothέr panel mounting system embodied by the invention for providing a false ceiling;

Figures 9 and 10 show end and perspective views of the track of the mounting system of Fig. 8;

Figures 11 and 1 IA show end and perspective views of a batten useful in a mounting system of the type shown in Fig. 8;

Figures 12 and 12A show end and perspective views of another batten useful in a mounting system of the type shown in Fig. 8;

Figure 13 is a partial side view illustrating battens with different end profiles fitted to the clips of a track in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 14 is a partial side view illustrating battens with different end profiles fitted between consecutive adjacent clips of a track in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 15 is a front view of moveable jaw of a clamping device for clamping and lifting a batten to an elevated position or being fitted to a track of a panel mounting system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 16 is a front view of a stationary jaw of the clamping device; Figure 17 is a front diagrammatic view of the moveable and stationary jaws of Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 mounted together;

Figure 18 is a front diagrammatic view showing the moveable jaw of a clamping device embodied by the position in an open, resting condition; and

Figure 19 is a front diagrammatic view showing the moveable jaw co-acting with the stationary jaw of clamping device of Fig. 18 to clamp a batten of a panel mounting system of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

For convenience, at least some like components of different embodiments of the invention have been numbered the same in the following description.

A mounting system 10 embodied by the invention is shown in Fig. 1. The mounting system comprises a plurality of "top cross rails" (i.e., primary rails) in the form of sheet metal tracks 12 arranged side by side relative to one another at regular intervals and to which are fixed metal battens 14 by integrally formed connecting clips 16 (often referred to as "locking keys") of the tracks 12. The battens are in the form of furring strips/channels 14, and are fixed cross-wise relative to the tracks 12 which are suspended from the underside face of a cement slab (not shown) forming a ceiling/floor or a multi-story building by brackets 18 that are mounted to the slab at an upper end thereof. The clips 16 of each track project outwardly and are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals such as 75 mm or 150 mm to coincide with the common spacing of wall studs in timber or metal building frames (e.g., 300 mm, 450mm or 600 mm spacings) to which the tracks 12 can also be fixed in other applications as described below. More generally, the spacing of the clips is determined to accommodate the location of the battens to suit the panels to be fixed to the battens.

A partial side view of a track 12 is shown in Fig. 2 while an end profile view of the track is shown in Fig. 3. The track 12 is a channel section having a longitudinal channel 20 defined by opposing side walls 22 and 24, and two rows of the clips 16. The clips in each row are extensions of the corresponding side wall and are orientated substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the track. The clips 16 in one row are aligned with the clips 16 in the other row thereby forming aligned pairs of the clips along the track for fixing a respective batten 14 to the track. In turn, the clips 16 of each track are aligned with clips of respective adjacent tracks located alongside. Each clip 16 is generally planar in form and as best shown in Fig. 2, has a neck 26 and head section 28 providing opposite overhanging flanges 30.

An end profile view of a batten 14 is shown in Fig. 4. The batten is also in the form of a channel section with a longitudinal channel 32 defined by opposed side walls 34 and 36 of the strip. Flanges 38 and 40 project from the top of respective of the side walls toward each other and in the embodiment shown are angled inwardly in the channel although this is not necessary and the flanges 38 and 40 can lie substantially parallel to the floor 41 of the batten. The floor of each batten 14 provides an outwardly facing bearing surface 43 to which the panels are fixed.

The battens 14 are fixed to the tracks 12 by the insertion of aligned pairs of clips 16 of respective of the tracks into the channels 32 of the battens. This is achieved by pressing the battens 14 onto the clips 16 of the tracks until the overhanging flanges 30 of the head section 28 of the clips hook under the opposite flanges 38 and 40 of respective of the battens. The engagement of the clips 16 with the flanges 38, 40 of the battens thereby provide respective "snap-lock" connections that fix the battens 14 in position to the tracks 12. The fixing of respective of the battens to the tracks is facilitated by the sloping edges 39 of each clip 16 which drive the side walls 34 and 36 of each batten apart about the clip as the batten is forced over the clip. Rather than hand pressing the battens 14 onto the tracks 12, a rubber mallet or the like can be used to impact drive the battens onto the clips.

A suspension rod bracket 18 of the mounting system 10 is shown in Fig. 6. The suspension bracket 18 comprises a support member in the form of a rod 42 with an upper end region mounted to the overlying cement slab or building structure and an opposite end region to which is ^' mounted a metal clip 44 that supports a respective one of the tracks 12. The clip 44 comprises a support bracket generally indicated by the numeral 46 that supports/holds the track 12 to one side of the rod 42 and a pair of arms 48 and 50. The arms are disposed one above the other and project rearwardly at an angle from the support bracket 46 in opposite directions to one another. Each of the arms 48, 50 has an oversized through aperture generally indicated by the numeral 52 that receives the rod 42. The arms are essentially resiliently biased toward the support bracket and clamp the rod against the rear of that bracket to fixedly hold the clip 44 onto the rod 42. By pressing the arms 48 and 50 toward one another in a scissor motion, the angle of projection of the arms from the support bracket 46 alters and the arms disengage from the rod, permitting the clip 44 to be moved along the rod into position (or to be placed on the rod when the suspension bracket 18 is being assembled). With release of the arms 48 and 50, the arms return to their initial positions into engagement with rod 42 to once again clamp the rod against the support bracket.

The upper end region of the rod 42 of the suspension bracket 18 can be mounted to the overlying cement slap of the building in any conventionally known manner. For example, the upper end of the rod 42 can be mounted to a further/ceiling bracket fixed directly to the slab by a mechanical fastener (e.g., a ceiling bolt or the like), and a variety of suitable such further brackets are known in the art. The upper end of the rod can, for instance, be threaded and secured to the further bracket by a nut preventing withdrawal of the rod from the from the further bracket. Hence, whilst one embodiment of a bracket for suspending the tracks 12 from the overlying cement slab has been described, any suitable conventionally known such bracket or means for this purpose can also be utilized.

In other embodiments, such support brackets 18 are not used, and the tracks" 12 of a mounting system as described herein can be mounted directly to the underlying building structure by suitable mechanical fasteners. Various "direct fix clips" for fixing battens 14 directly to the building structure are also known.

As indicated above, a mounting system embodied by the invention can be used for mounting panels to the underlying building structure to form a wall, ceiling or floor, although at least some embodiments have particular application in suspending false ceilings from the relevant building structure. Forming the ceiling, wall or floor is simply a matter of fixing panels to the battens of the mounting system to form a continuous covering of the panels such that one of the faces of respective of the panels faces the building structure, forming the ceiling, wall or floor. The panels can be fixed to the outwardly disposed bearing surfaces 43 of the battens 14 by any suitable adhesive (e.g., jointing cement) and/or fasteners such as suitable screws conventionally used for this purpose. As will be understood, a mounting system embodied by the invention can be used to provide a horizontal, sloping, curved or domed ceiling. Likewise, a mounting system as described herein can be used to provide waveform or curved wall surfaces.

A further embodiment of a batten 14a useful in a mounting system 10 as described herein is shown in Fig. 5. This batten is provided for the formation of a joint along its length between the edge margins of adjacent panels, and differs in that it is shallower in depth than the batten illustrated in Fig. 4 but has a wider floor 41 and thereby wider bearing surface 43. The wider floor of the batten is provided by the provision of oppositely directed lateral shoulders 35 defined in the side walls 34 and 36 of the batten. As also shown, the opposite side walls of the batten below the shoulders 35 are substantially parallel to one another.

When fitted to the clips 16 of respective of tracks 12 as generally illustrated in Fig. 1, the bearing surface 43 of batten 14a is disposed closer to the overlying building

structure/cement slab than the bearing surfaces 43 of the adjacent battens 14 located to each side of batten 14a. As such, when the edge margins of adjacent panels are fixed to the batten 14a in use, a slight recess is formed between the adjacent battens 14 of normal depth which centers on the batten 14a. A joint is then formed along the batten 14a by at least partially filling the recess with a jointing cement and/or other suitable preparation (e.g., plaster etc). The resulting joint is therefore substantially flush with ^, the surrounding exposed surfaces of the panels. Hence, the battens 14a are fixed to the tracks 12 at intervals to correspond with the joints to be formed between the panels when the panels are fixed to the battens 14 and 14a. Moreover, the increased width of the bearing surface 43 of batten 14a readily accommodates the fixing of adjacent panels to this batten by a respective row of fasteners (e.g., screws) along the edge margin of each panel. When fixing panels to conventionally known battens, it is common for some of the fasteners used to "miss" the batten completely when inserted through a panel, thereby requiring a relatively high degree of alignment and precision on the part of the installer. With the increased width of bearing surface 43 of batten 14a, the level of precision needed to fix the panels to the batten using such fasteners is reduced.

In other embodiments, battens 14 of the type shown in Fig. 5 with a wide floor provided by lateral shoulders and which are either shallow or have a greater depth as in the batten shown in Fig. 4, can be used for "express jointing" applications. In such applications cement fϊberboard or other panels are mounted to the battens leaving a gap (e.g., 1 cm) between them through which the bearing surface of respective of the battens is exposed providing a decorative effect, the provision of the gaps between the panels being facilitated by the increased floor width of the battens. In these embodiments, the bearing surfaces can, for instance, be painted or otherwise coated with a coloured coating.

The tracks 12 of the mounting system can be cold rolled formed into a channel section from a strip steel blank that has been cut by rotary cutter(s) to shape the clips, and shearing the channel section to length. The battens 14 can also be roll formed (or extruded). Both the tracks 12 and battens 14 are coated with a suitable alloy (e.g., zinc -aluminium) or galvanized to protect them against corrosion. Alternatively, the tracks and/or battens can be formed from a suitable plastics material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE).

Another embodiment of a batten 14 useful in a mounting system of the invention is shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 7 A. In still other embodiments, the flanges 38 and 40 of a batten 14 can be directed away from each other to locate under the overhanging flanges 30 of consecutive adjacent clips 16 a track 12 as shown in Fig. 8. In this form of the mounting system, the clips 16 are spaced apart from another along the track at regular intervals, for example, to provide for location of battens at multiples of 75mm spacings as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

To facilitate the fixing of the batten 14 to the track, the sloping edges 39 of adjacent ones of the clips 16 in this instance drive the opposite side walls 34 and 36 of the batten to toward each other as the batten is forced between the adjacent clips 16 of the track. End and perspective views of the track 12 of Fig. 8 are shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. In this embodiment, respective of the opposing side walls 22 and 24 of the track are provided with a longitudinally extending reinforcing formation consisting of a laterally directed rib 54, the ribs facing away from each other. End profiles of further battens 14 that can be utilized with this embodiment of the mounting system are exemplified in Figures 11 and 1 IA, and Figures 12 and 12A.

In Fig. 13 there are shown embodiments of battens 14 having end profiles as generally illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 7 fitted to the clips 16 of a track 12. In Fig. 14, embodiments of battens 14 having end profiles as generally illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 fitted between consecutive clips 16 of a track 12 are shown. Fixing the battens 14 to the tracks 12 when the tracks are suspended from the underside of a cement slab ceiling typically entails the use of a ladder or mobile scaffold. Either instance involves the installer(s) climbing and/or maneuvering into position at height, with the inherent safety risks this entails. As an alternative installation method, a hand held tool for engaging and lifting the battens for fixing of the battens to the tracks can be used.

An embodiment of such a tool will now be described with reference to Figures 15 to 19. As illustrated in Fig. 18, the tool 56 comprises a handle in the form of a shaft 58. In some forms the shaft can be telescopic and so be adjustable in length. A stationary arm/jaw 60 is fixed atop the shaft 58, co-acting with a movable jaw 62 to form an engagement device for clamping a batten 14 as described further below. Whilst not shown, the stationary jaw 60 can be seated in a groove defined in the top end of the shaft and secured in position by fasteners (e.g., rivets) passing through the shaft 58 and stationary jaw 60. Likewise, the stationary jaw can be mounted to an end cap that is crimped onto the top end of the shaft to fix the stationary jaw to the shaft, and any suitable such mounting method can be utilized.

As shown, the moveable jaw 62 pivots about pivot pin 64 upon being actuated by an actuator in the form of a cable 66 connected to the movable jaw through connection point 68 to clamp and thereby, hold, the batten. A cord or wire can of course be used for the actuator instead. In particular, upon the cable 66 being pulled downwardly by manual operation of a trigger, lever or other mechanical device mounted to a lower end region of the shaft 58, the movable jaw is caused to pivot about the pivot axis of the pivot pin from a resting position to a clamping position. Rather than a trigger, the moveable jaw can be pivoted into the clamping position by grasping and pulling the cable 66. Biasing means in the form of a spring 72 acts to return the moveable jaw about the pivot axis to the resting position upon the trigger or cable 66 being released. As can be seen, the return spring 72 is connected at one end to a connection point defined by aperture 74 provided on the movable jaw and at an opposite end to a fixed location 76 on the shaft 58 via hooked terminal ends 70.

The stationary and movable jaws 60 and 62 define a recess 78 that receives the batten 14 such that the batten rests on the flat edge 80 of the stationary jaw, a sloping locator surface 82 of the stationary jaw assisting location of the batten within the recess as illustrated in Fig. 18. Upon operation of the cable 66, the opposing side walls 34 and 36 of the batten are securely clamped between the jaws allowing the batten to be lifted from the ground and raised to the height of the suspended track. The clamping action squeezes the side walls of the batten toward each (see Fig. 19). This facilitates passage of the outwardly directed flanges 38 and 40 of the batten past the overhanging flanges 30 of the adjacent clipslό the track 12. Upon the release of the trigger or cable 66, the resilience of the batten drives the flanges of the batten under the clips 16, fixing the batten to the track. The tool 56 can then retracted way from the batten, or be moved along the batten to progressively fix the batten to consecutive clips 16 of further parallel track(s) 12.

Rather than using a single such tool 56, the batten can be clamped, raised and fixed to suspended tracks 12 by a number of installers co-operating together using respective clamping tools 56, the installers being spaced apart from one another along the batten. Likewise, one or more clamping tools 56 can also be used to clamp and lift a track 12 into position to be fixed in a suspended position under ceiling framework or a cement ceiling slab, or otherwise be manouvered transversely into a position clamp(s) of the type shown in Fig. 6. The shaft 58 and/or the stationary and moveable jaws 60 and 62 can be fabricated from any number of materials including, but not limited to, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, plastics and carbon fiber poles, tubing and/or sheeting.

In other forms, embodiments of the tool 56 can be provided in which both jaws of clamping tool are arranged be pivoted about a pivot axis or otherwise be moved with respect to each other , to co-operatively clamp the batten with operation of the actuator (e.g., cable 66). Also, a tool 56 of the type as described herein can in at least some forms, be used to clamp and remove (e.g. pull) batten(s) from track(s) of a panel mounting system of the invention.

As will be understood, the use of tool(s) (56) as describe above may reduce the time involved in the installation of the mounting system thereby significantly reducing labour costs, and avoid or significantly reduce the need for an installer to climb to height to install at least the battens 14 to the tracks 12. As such, the risk of injury may also be significantly reduced. Although the invention has been described with reference to a number of embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications can be made. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.