CA1174425A - Modular elevator cab - Google Patents
Modular elevator cabInfo
- Publication number
- CA1174425A CA1174425A CA000401417A CA401417A CA1174425A CA 1174425 A CA1174425 A CA 1174425A CA 000401417 A CA000401417 A CA 000401417A CA 401417 A CA401417 A CA 401417A CA 1174425 A CA1174425 A CA 1174425A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- wall
- sections
- portions
- spacer
- wall sections
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Cage And Drive Apparatuses For Elevators (AREA)
Abstract
49,064 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A modular cab structure for an elevator car which includes a wall portion having rear and side walls formed of a plurality of upstanding wall sections. The wall sections include flanged portions at their lateral edges, with adjacent flanged portions being joined to-gether. The upstanding wall sections include at least two self-standing, right angle corner sections having first and second leg portions which aid in forming the side and rear walls. Decorative panel members are mounted on the inner surface of the wall portion, with the panel members being located and dimensioned to conceal the joints be-tween the adjacent wall sections.
A modular cab structure for an elevator car which includes a wall portion having rear and side walls formed of a plurality of upstanding wall sections. The wall sections include flanged portions at their lateral edges, with adjacent flanged portions being joined to-gether. The upstanding wall sections include at least two self-standing, right angle corner sections having first and second leg portions which aid in forming the side and rear walls. Decorative panel members are mounted on the inner surface of the wall portion, with the panel members being located and dimensioned to conceal the joints be-tween the adjacent wall sections.
Description
7~ 5 1 49,064 MODULAR ELEVATOR CAB
BACKGROUND OF T~E INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The invention relates in general to a modular elevator cab structure.
Description of the Prior Art:
Elevator cabs are assembled on a platform in the hatch or hoistway of a building. The panels which form the cab are located close to the sides of the platform, and the platform is close to the walls of the hoistway.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a cab structure which may be quickly and easily installed in such a con-fined space. In addition to satisfying the assembly re-qulrement, it would further be desirable for the structur-al parts of the elevator cab to have as many of the fol-lowing characteristics as possible, without suffering anoffsetting cost penalty: (l) Relatively low manufacturing costs,
BACKGROUND OF T~E INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The invention relates in general to a modular elevator cab structure.
Description of the Prior Art:
Elevator cabs are assembled on a platform in the hatch or hoistway of a building. The panels which form the cab are located close to the sides of the platform, and the platform is close to the walls of the hoistway.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a cab structure which may be quickly and easily installed in such a con-fined space. In addition to satisfying the assembly re-qulrement, it would further be desirable for the structur-al parts of the elevator cab to have as many of the fol-lowing characteristics as possible, without suffering anoffsetting cost penalty: (l) Relatively low manufacturing costs,
(2) Structural elements which are common to dif-ferent sized cabs, ~) Easily packaged structural elements which do not re~uire large shipping crates, (~) Structural elements which are easy for field personnel to handle and assemble, (5) A cab structure which has rugged, tight, concealed joints which will not loosen during usage, and (6) A cab structure having an aesthetically pleasing interior.
~ lL7~ S
2 49,064 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention is a new and im-proved elevator structure which is assembled from a plur-ality of relative narrow, easily handled wall sections which are joined together via flanged lateral edges.
Quick-joint hardware, permanently attached to the flanges, enables the wall sections to be quickly and securely at-tached to one another. The wall sections include standard modular elements applicable to all elevator cabs regard-less of size, including right angle corner sections whichhave first and second leg portions. The first and second leg portions form part of a side and part of a rear wall of a cab, and they eliminate joints at the rear corners.
Standard width and non-standard width straight wall sec-tions complete the side and rear walls, with the non-standard width sections having their width selected for the specific cab dimensions it will be associated with, to enable the maximum use of standard width sections. Decor-ative panel members are hung on the interior walls formed by the joined wall sections, with their sizes being se-lected such that the joints between the wall sections are concealed behind the hung panel members.
The wall sections, with the captive joint hard ware, are e~sily manufactured, packed and shipped. They are just as easily unpacked and handled by a single in-staller. The installer can quickly assemble the wall sections on an elevator platform in a hatchway, while working from ~he inside of the resulting cab enclosure.
BRIE_ DESCRIPTION OE THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be better understood, and fur-ther advantages and uses thereof more readily apparent, when considered in view of the following detailed descrip-tion of exemplary embodiments, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of an elevator cab constructed according to the teachings of the invention;
~ lL7~ S
2 49,064 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention is a new and im-proved elevator structure which is assembled from a plur-ality of relative narrow, easily handled wall sections which are joined together via flanged lateral edges.
Quick-joint hardware, permanently attached to the flanges, enables the wall sections to be quickly and securely at-tached to one another. The wall sections include standard modular elements applicable to all elevator cabs regard-less of size, including right angle corner sections whichhave first and second leg portions. The first and second leg portions form part of a side and part of a rear wall of a cab, and they eliminate joints at the rear corners.
Standard width and non-standard width straight wall sec-tions complete the side and rear walls, with the non-standard width sections having their width selected for the specific cab dimensions it will be associated with, to enable the maximum use of standard width sections. Decor-ative panel members are hung on the interior walls formed by the joined wall sections, with their sizes being se-lected such that the joints between the wall sections are concealed behind the hung panel members.
The wall sections, with the captive joint hard ware, are e~sily manufactured, packed and shipped. They are just as easily unpacked and handled by a single in-staller. The installer can quickly assemble the wall sections on an elevator platform in a hatchway, while working from ~he inside of the resulting cab enclosure.
BRIE_ DESCRIPTION OE THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be better understood, and fur-ther advantages and uses thereof more readily apparent, when considered in view of the following detailed descrip-tion of exemplary embodiments, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of an elevator cab constructed according to the teachings of the invention;
3 49,064 Figure 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a standard, straight wall section;
Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a standard, right angle corner wall section.
5Figure 4 is a plan view of the rear wall and one of the side walls of the cab shown in Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the side all shown in Figure 4 modified to illustrate a non-standard width wall section and a single hung panel.
10DESCRIPTION OF THE PREF~RRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, there is shown a new and improved elevator cab lO constructed according to the teachings of the in-vention. Cab 10, which is mounted in a hatch or hoistway 1512 of a building 14, includes a platform 16, and a wall portion 18 mounted on the platform 16.
Wall portion 18, which has interior and exterior surfaces 20 and 22, respectively, includes a rear wall 24, and first and second side walls 26 and 28, respectively.
The interior surfaces of wall portion 18 face the inside or passenger section of cab 10, while the exterior sur-faces face the walls of the hatchway 12.
Wall portion 18 is of modular construction, hav-ing a plurality of relatively narrow, easily handled, up-standing wall sections, including first and second self-standing right angle wall sections 30 and 31, respective-ly, a plurality of standard width straight wall sections 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 and, if required, one or more non-standard width sections such as section 38 in the rear wall 24.
The wall sections, which are preferably formed of a metal, such as steel, each include inner and outer surfaces which form part of the interior and exterior surfaces 20 and 22, respectively, of wall portion 18.
More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, whlch is a frag-mentary, perspecti.ve view of one of the straight wall sections, such as the standard width straight wall section
Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a standard, right angle corner wall section.
5Figure 4 is a plan view of the rear wall and one of the side walls of the cab shown in Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the side all shown in Figure 4 modified to illustrate a non-standard width wall section and a single hung panel.
10DESCRIPTION OF THE PREF~RRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and to Figure 1 in particular, there is shown a new and improved elevator cab lO constructed according to the teachings of the in-vention. Cab 10, which is mounted in a hatch or hoistway 1512 of a building 14, includes a platform 16, and a wall portion 18 mounted on the platform 16.
Wall portion 18, which has interior and exterior surfaces 20 and 22, respectively, includes a rear wall 24, and first and second side walls 26 and 28, respectively.
The interior surfaces of wall portion 18 face the inside or passenger section of cab 10, while the exterior sur-faces face the walls of the hatchway 12.
Wall portion 18 is of modular construction, hav-ing a plurality of relatively narrow, easily handled, up-standing wall sections, including first and second self-standing right angle wall sections 30 and 31, respective-ly, a plurality of standard width straight wall sections 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 and, if required, one or more non-standard width sections such as section 38 in the rear wall 24.
The wall sections, which are preferably formed of a metal, such as steel, each include inner and outer surfaces which form part of the interior and exterior surfaces 20 and 22, respectively, of wall portion 18.
More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, whlch is a frag-mentary, perspecti.ve view of one of the straight wall sections, such as the standard width straight wall section
4 ~9,064 34, each straight wall section includes top and bottom edges, such as top edge 39, first and second vertically extendlng lateral or side edges 40 and 42, respectively, and first and second major, flat, parallel, opposed sur-faces 44 and 46, respectively, which become inner andouter surfaces, respectively, when assembled to form wall section 18.
Each straight wall section, such as wall section 34, includes first and second vertically extending right angle bends 48 and 50, respectively, with the vertically extending bend lines being equally spaced from lateral edges 40 and 42, respectively, with the bends forming first and second flange members 52 and 54, respectively.
The first and second flange members 52 and 54 extend perpendicularly outward from the second or outer surface 46. As will be hereinafter explained, the first and second flange members 52 and 54 support hardware for quickly and securely joining the first flange member of one wall section to the second flange member of an adja-cent wall section.
Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of aright angle corner wall section, such as corner 31.
Corner wall sections 30 and 31 are preferably of like construction, as illustrated. However, they may be con-structed as right-hand and left-hand corners, as desired.
Corner wall section 31 includes top and bottom edges, such as top edge 56, first and second vertically extending lateral or side edges 58 and 60, respectively, and a first vertically extending right angle bend 62 which forms first 3~ and second leg portions 64 and 66, respectively. Bend 62 may be bisect the width dimension of the wall section, or it may be disposed such that it forms leg portions having difterent width dimensions, as desired. If the right angle corners are of like construction, it is preferable that the first and second leg portions have like width dimensions, as the first and second leg portions will be located in the side and rear walls, respectively, at one 49,06~
corner, and the rear and side walls, respectively at the other corner. If the right angle corner wall members are constructed in right and left hand pairs, the first and second leg portions may have different widths because the leg portions which will be located in the rear wall will have like width dimensions, and the leg portions in the side walls will have like width dimensions.
Each leg portion, such as the first leg portion 64 of the corner member 31 has first and second major, flat, parallel, opposed surfaces 68 and 70, respectively, which become inner and outer surfaces, respectively, when assembled with other wall sections to form wall sections 18. Each corner section, such as corner section 31, further includes second and third right angle, vertically extending bends 72 and 74, respectively, equally spaced from lateral edges 58 and 60, respectively, which form first and se~ond flange members 76 and 78, respectively.
The first and second flange members 76 and 78 extend perpendicularly outward from the second or outer surface of the corner section 31.
While the joining means for joining together adjacent flanges of the wall sections may be of any suit-able construction, it should be operable by a single installer located on platform 16, it should form quick but secure joints which will not loosen during usage of the elevator cab, and its hardware is preferably captive. The panel joint disclosed in my co-pending application, now Canadian Patent No. 1,127,367 issued July 13, 1982, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present appli-cation, meets all of these requirements. Therefore, forpurposes of example, the present invention is illustrated as using this joint structure. The joint will only briefly be described, as this application may be referred for further details, if needed.
~7~
6 49,064 The flange joining means which forms a plurality of joints between the wall sections, such as the joint ~30 between wall sections 34 and 35, includes captive hardware on each of the first and second flange members of the wall sections. Since the hardware on the first and second flange members of the straight wall sections may be the same as the hardware on the first and second flange mem bers of the right angle wall sections, the joining means will be described relative to the straight section 34 shown in Figure 2.
More specifically, a plurality of metallic spacer members 82 having head and shank portions 84 and 86, respectively, which form a first portion of the ~oint hardware for each panel joint 80, are mounted in vertical-ly spaced relation on the surace of flange 52 which is a continuation of the first surface 44. A plurality of vertically spaced openings 88 are formed in the second flange member 54, which openings may be circular, as illustrated, having a diameter selected to receive the 20 head 84 of a spacer member 82.- Flange member 54 also includes a plurality of vertically spaced round openings 94.
Jolnt locking means 96, which forms a second portion of the joint hardware, is slidably fastened to the second flange member 54, on the side thereof which is a continuation of the second or outer surface 46. Locking means 96 includes an elongated channel member 98 formed of metal, such as steel. The channel-shaped cross-sectional-configuration of the channel member provides the required stiffness. Channel member 98 includes a back or bight portion 100, and a plurality of spaced, elongated slots or openings 102 are provided in bight lO0. Each of the slots includes an enlarged portion 104 on the end of the slot which faces the lower end of the channel member 82, which enlarged portion is sized to accept the diameter of head portion 84 of a spacer member 82. Each of the slots 102 further includes a narrow portion 106 which tapers inward-2$
7 49,06~
ly from the enlarged portion lO~ such that -the sides of the narrow portion 106 converge as the slot nears its upper end. Slots 102 are aligned with, and they cooperate with, openlngs 88 in flange member 5~, as will be herein-after explained.
In addition to the elongated tapered slots 102,a plurality of elongated straight slots 110 are provided in bight 100. Each of the slots 110 in the locking member 96 cooperate with an opening g4 in flange member 5~, and suitable fastening means 112, such as a nut and bolt assembly, slidably fasten locking means 96 to flange member 54. Locking means 96 is dimensioned such that slidably operating it to the uppermost position of its vertical travel path causes the enlarged portion 104 of the slot 102 to be aligned with an opening 88.
To assemble wall portion 18, a self-standing right angle corner wall member, such as member 31, is placed by the installer into the proper position on plat-form 16. The locking means 96 slidably fixed thereto is operated to its uppermost position. Wall section 37 is then placed close to its final desired assembled position with the corner section 31. The straight wall section 37 is advanced towards the corner 31 to cause spacer members 82 to enter the cooperatively located openings 88 and 102.
The locking channel member 96 is then forced sharply downward, such as by applying a sharp blow to the upper end of channel member 98 with a hammer. This action forces the flange members of the adjacent wall sections tightly together and it securely locks the resulting panel joint. The resulting joint is not only initially tight, but it remains tight during usage, notwithstanding move-ment and vibration of the elevator car. The remaining wall sections are then attached to one another in a simi-lar manner.
As illustrated in Figure 1, a strike jamb 120 for the car door (not shown) may be secured to one of the wall sections, such as wall section 32, using joining 8 49,064 means similar to that used for adjoining the adjacent flange members of the wall sections. ~ plurality of spacer members need only be attached to the appropriate location on the strike jamb 120. The strike jamb 120 extends over a threshold plate 121, which includes a groove for receiving a gib on the bottom edge of the car door.
A front wall section 122, which includes a door return post 124, may be secured to wall section 34 using the same joint hardware on the front wall section as is carried by the second flange member 54 of the wall sec-tions, for capturing and locking to the plurality of spacer members 82 located on the first flange member 52 of wall section 34. The car station (not shown) for elevator cab 10 may be secured to this front wall section 122.
The interior of the elevator cab 10 is finished by hanging a plurality of decorative panel members 130 on the interior surface 20 of wall portion 18. The decora-tive panel members 130 may be manufactured in standard, and non-standard widths, as desired, according to the different width dimensions of the internal walls of the elevator cab. The number of panel members 130, and their width dimensions, are selected such that the joint lines 132 formed between adjacent wall sections are all con-cealed behind the panel members 130. While two panelmembers 130 are shown disposed on a side wall, and three panel members 130 are shown disposed on the rear wall 24, these numbers are merely for purposes of example. For example, a single panel member 130 may be disposed on each side wall, and a pair of panel members 130 may be disposed on the rear wall.
Since there is no joint at the rear corners of wall portion 18, and since the joints 132 between adjacent wall sections are concealed by panel members 130, the cab interior has no joints which are apparent to passengers.
The absence of joints contributes to the pleasing appear-ance created by the hung panel members 130. Panel members ~'7~ ~ 2 S
9 49,064 130 may be mounted on the interior surface of wall portion 18 by any suitable mounting means, such as by the spacer/
slot arrangement illustrated, by the mounting means dis-closed in U.S. Patent No. 4,204,665 issued November 27, 1980 entitled "Panel Mounting Assembly", which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application, or by any other suitable means.
In the spacer/slot arrangement illustrated, vertically extending elongated spacer receiving slots or openings are ~ormed through the major flat portions of the wall sections, and cooperative spacer members are attached to the rear surfaces of the panel members 130. For example, slots 136 and 138 may be formed adjacent to the upper corners of each stralght wall section, such as illustrated using wall section 32, and slots 1~0 and 142 are formed adjacent to the lower corners. In like manner, slots 144 and 146 are formed in legs 64 and 66 of each right angle corner wall section, near its upper end, as illustrated in Figure 3 for corner section 31, and like configured slots are formed in each leg near its lower end. Each of these slots have an enlarged spacer head receiving portion 148 at the upper end, a shank receiving portion 150 at the lower end, and tapered transition therebetween.
The spacers which are attached to the rear surfaces of the panels 130, such as spacers 152, may be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Patent ~,199,907 issued April 29, 1980, which is assigned to the same assignee as the prPsent application. For example, in addition to a head and shank portion, they may each include a tapered transition therebetween which cooperates with the tapered portion of a slot to facilitate the "catchingl' of a spacer in a slot. As the panel is then lowered to drop the spacer to the bottom of the slot, the cooperative tapered surfaces "cam" the spacer head and wall section to the proper spacing.
The spacers 152 may be spring-loaded, if desired, to insure tight, rattle-free joints between the panels and wall sections.
, ;~
49,064 In a preferred embodiment of the spacer/slot panel hanging arrangement, only the standard width and corner wall sections are provided with the spacer receiv-ing slots. The variable width wall sections do not have such openings, facilitating their manufacture. This preferred embodiment is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, with Figure 4 being a fragmentary plan view of cab lO, showing the rear wall 24 and side wall 26. It will be noted that the number of panels and their widths, in addition to being selected to conceal the joints 132, are selected such that they obtain their support from the standard wall sections. A wall panel 130 completely covers the non-standard width section 38 and obtains its support from the standard width sections 36 and 37 which adjoin the non-standard section.
Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of an ele-vator cab 10', illustrating the use of a non-standard width wall section 154 in a side wall 26'. As illus-trated, a single panel 130 may be used to span the non-standard wall section 154, obtaining its support viaopenings in the adjacent standard wall sections 30 and 32.
In summary, there has been disclosed a new and improved modular elevator cab construction which includes standard wall sections which are easily manufactured, packed, shipped and assembled to provide a strong cab wall whose strength and joint integrity will not be diminished through usage. Free standing right angle corner members facilitate the assembly of the elevator cab by a single assembler as the cab wall may be started from such a free standing corner, requiring only a single straight panel section to be manipulated by the assembler at any instant.
The right angle corner sections further enable a cab structure to be achieved which is free of visible joints, when decorative ornamental panel members are hung on the interior walls such that they conceal the joints on the side and rear walls between the adjacent modular wall sections.
Each straight wall section, such as wall section 34, includes first and second vertically extending right angle bends 48 and 50, respectively, with the vertically extending bend lines being equally spaced from lateral edges 40 and 42, respectively, with the bends forming first and second flange members 52 and 54, respectively.
The first and second flange members 52 and 54 extend perpendicularly outward from the second or outer surface 46. As will be hereinafter explained, the first and second flange members 52 and 54 support hardware for quickly and securely joining the first flange member of one wall section to the second flange member of an adja-cent wall section.
Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of aright angle corner wall section, such as corner 31.
Corner wall sections 30 and 31 are preferably of like construction, as illustrated. However, they may be con-structed as right-hand and left-hand corners, as desired.
Corner wall section 31 includes top and bottom edges, such as top edge 56, first and second vertically extending lateral or side edges 58 and 60, respectively, and a first vertically extending right angle bend 62 which forms first 3~ and second leg portions 64 and 66, respectively. Bend 62 may be bisect the width dimension of the wall section, or it may be disposed such that it forms leg portions having difterent width dimensions, as desired. If the right angle corners are of like construction, it is preferable that the first and second leg portions have like width dimensions, as the first and second leg portions will be located in the side and rear walls, respectively, at one 49,06~
corner, and the rear and side walls, respectively at the other corner. If the right angle corner wall members are constructed in right and left hand pairs, the first and second leg portions may have different widths because the leg portions which will be located in the rear wall will have like width dimensions, and the leg portions in the side walls will have like width dimensions.
Each leg portion, such as the first leg portion 64 of the corner member 31 has first and second major, flat, parallel, opposed surfaces 68 and 70, respectively, which become inner and outer surfaces, respectively, when assembled with other wall sections to form wall sections 18. Each corner section, such as corner section 31, further includes second and third right angle, vertically extending bends 72 and 74, respectively, equally spaced from lateral edges 58 and 60, respectively, which form first and se~ond flange members 76 and 78, respectively.
The first and second flange members 76 and 78 extend perpendicularly outward from the second or outer surface of the corner section 31.
While the joining means for joining together adjacent flanges of the wall sections may be of any suit-able construction, it should be operable by a single installer located on platform 16, it should form quick but secure joints which will not loosen during usage of the elevator cab, and its hardware is preferably captive. The panel joint disclosed in my co-pending application, now Canadian Patent No. 1,127,367 issued July 13, 1982, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present appli-cation, meets all of these requirements. Therefore, forpurposes of example, the present invention is illustrated as using this joint structure. The joint will only briefly be described, as this application may be referred for further details, if needed.
~7~
6 49,064 The flange joining means which forms a plurality of joints between the wall sections, such as the joint ~30 between wall sections 34 and 35, includes captive hardware on each of the first and second flange members of the wall sections. Since the hardware on the first and second flange members of the straight wall sections may be the same as the hardware on the first and second flange mem bers of the right angle wall sections, the joining means will be described relative to the straight section 34 shown in Figure 2.
More specifically, a plurality of metallic spacer members 82 having head and shank portions 84 and 86, respectively, which form a first portion of the ~oint hardware for each panel joint 80, are mounted in vertical-ly spaced relation on the surace of flange 52 which is a continuation of the first surface 44. A plurality of vertically spaced openings 88 are formed in the second flange member 54, which openings may be circular, as illustrated, having a diameter selected to receive the 20 head 84 of a spacer member 82.- Flange member 54 also includes a plurality of vertically spaced round openings 94.
Jolnt locking means 96, which forms a second portion of the joint hardware, is slidably fastened to the second flange member 54, on the side thereof which is a continuation of the second or outer surface 46. Locking means 96 includes an elongated channel member 98 formed of metal, such as steel. The channel-shaped cross-sectional-configuration of the channel member provides the required stiffness. Channel member 98 includes a back or bight portion 100, and a plurality of spaced, elongated slots or openings 102 are provided in bight lO0. Each of the slots includes an enlarged portion 104 on the end of the slot which faces the lower end of the channel member 82, which enlarged portion is sized to accept the diameter of head portion 84 of a spacer member 82. Each of the slots 102 further includes a narrow portion 106 which tapers inward-2$
7 49,06~
ly from the enlarged portion lO~ such that -the sides of the narrow portion 106 converge as the slot nears its upper end. Slots 102 are aligned with, and they cooperate with, openlngs 88 in flange member 5~, as will be herein-after explained.
In addition to the elongated tapered slots 102,a plurality of elongated straight slots 110 are provided in bight 100. Each of the slots 110 in the locking member 96 cooperate with an opening g4 in flange member 5~, and suitable fastening means 112, such as a nut and bolt assembly, slidably fasten locking means 96 to flange member 54. Locking means 96 is dimensioned such that slidably operating it to the uppermost position of its vertical travel path causes the enlarged portion 104 of the slot 102 to be aligned with an opening 88.
To assemble wall portion 18, a self-standing right angle corner wall member, such as member 31, is placed by the installer into the proper position on plat-form 16. The locking means 96 slidably fixed thereto is operated to its uppermost position. Wall section 37 is then placed close to its final desired assembled position with the corner section 31. The straight wall section 37 is advanced towards the corner 31 to cause spacer members 82 to enter the cooperatively located openings 88 and 102.
The locking channel member 96 is then forced sharply downward, such as by applying a sharp blow to the upper end of channel member 98 with a hammer. This action forces the flange members of the adjacent wall sections tightly together and it securely locks the resulting panel joint. The resulting joint is not only initially tight, but it remains tight during usage, notwithstanding move-ment and vibration of the elevator car. The remaining wall sections are then attached to one another in a simi-lar manner.
As illustrated in Figure 1, a strike jamb 120 for the car door (not shown) may be secured to one of the wall sections, such as wall section 32, using joining 8 49,064 means similar to that used for adjoining the adjacent flange members of the wall sections. ~ plurality of spacer members need only be attached to the appropriate location on the strike jamb 120. The strike jamb 120 extends over a threshold plate 121, which includes a groove for receiving a gib on the bottom edge of the car door.
A front wall section 122, which includes a door return post 124, may be secured to wall section 34 using the same joint hardware on the front wall section as is carried by the second flange member 54 of the wall sec-tions, for capturing and locking to the plurality of spacer members 82 located on the first flange member 52 of wall section 34. The car station (not shown) for elevator cab 10 may be secured to this front wall section 122.
The interior of the elevator cab 10 is finished by hanging a plurality of decorative panel members 130 on the interior surface 20 of wall portion 18. The decora-tive panel members 130 may be manufactured in standard, and non-standard widths, as desired, according to the different width dimensions of the internal walls of the elevator cab. The number of panel members 130, and their width dimensions, are selected such that the joint lines 132 formed between adjacent wall sections are all con-cealed behind the panel members 130. While two panelmembers 130 are shown disposed on a side wall, and three panel members 130 are shown disposed on the rear wall 24, these numbers are merely for purposes of example. For example, a single panel member 130 may be disposed on each side wall, and a pair of panel members 130 may be disposed on the rear wall.
Since there is no joint at the rear corners of wall portion 18, and since the joints 132 between adjacent wall sections are concealed by panel members 130, the cab interior has no joints which are apparent to passengers.
The absence of joints contributes to the pleasing appear-ance created by the hung panel members 130. Panel members ~'7~ ~ 2 S
9 49,064 130 may be mounted on the interior surface of wall portion 18 by any suitable mounting means, such as by the spacer/
slot arrangement illustrated, by the mounting means dis-closed in U.S. Patent No. 4,204,665 issued November 27, 1980 entitled "Panel Mounting Assembly", which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application, or by any other suitable means.
In the spacer/slot arrangement illustrated, vertically extending elongated spacer receiving slots or openings are ~ormed through the major flat portions of the wall sections, and cooperative spacer members are attached to the rear surfaces of the panel members 130. For example, slots 136 and 138 may be formed adjacent to the upper corners of each stralght wall section, such as illustrated using wall section 32, and slots 1~0 and 142 are formed adjacent to the lower corners. In like manner, slots 144 and 146 are formed in legs 64 and 66 of each right angle corner wall section, near its upper end, as illustrated in Figure 3 for corner section 31, and like configured slots are formed in each leg near its lower end. Each of these slots have an enlarged spacer head receiving portion 148 at the upper end, a shank receiving portion 150 at the lower end, and tapered transition therebetween.
The spacers which are attached to the rear surfaces of the panels 130, such as spacers 152, may be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Patent ~,199,907 issued April 29, 1980, which is assigned to the same assignee as the prPsent application. For example, in addition to a head and shank portion, they may each include a tapered transition therebetween which cooperates with the tapered portion of a slot to facilitate the "catchingl' of a spacer in a slot. As the panel is then lowered to drop the spacer to the bottom of the slot, the cooperative tapered surfaces "cam" the spacer head and wall section to the proper spacing.
The spacers 152 may be spring-loaded, if desired, to insure tight, rattle-free joints between the panels and wall sections.
, ;~
49,064 In a preferred embodiment of the spacer/slot panel hanging arrangement, only the standard width and corner wall sections are provided with the spacer receiv-ing slots. The variable width wall sections do not have such openings, facilitating their manufacture. This preferred embodiment is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, with Figure 4 being a fragmentary plan view of cab lO, showing the rear wall 24 and side wall 26. It will be noted that the number of panels and their widths, in addition to being selected to conceal the joints 132, are selected such that they obtain their support from the standard wall sections. A wall panel 130 completely covers the non-standard width section 38 and obtains its support from the standard width sections 36 and 37 which adjoin the non-standard section.
Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of an ele-vator cab 10', illustrating the use of a non-standard width wall section 154 in a side wall 26'. As illus-trated, a single panel 130 may be used to span the non-standard wall section 154, obtaining its support viaopenings in the adjacent standard wall sections 30 and 32.
In summary, there has been disclosed a new and improved modular elevator cab construction which includes standard wall sections which are easily manufactured, packed, shipped and assembled to provide a strong cab wall whose strength and joint integrity will not be diminished through usage. Free standing right angle corner members facilitate the assembly of the elevator cab by a single assembler as the cab wall may be started from such a free standing corner, requiring only a single straight panel section to be manipulated by the assembler at any instant.
The right angle corner sections further enable a cab structure to be achieved which is free of visible joints, when decorative ornamental panel members are hung on the interior walls such that they conceal the joints on the side and rear walls between the adjacent modular wall sections.
Claims (10)
1. A modular cab structure for an elevator car, comprising:
a platform, a wall portion on said platform having interior and exterior surfaces, said wall portion including a rear wall and first and second side walls, all formed of a plurality of upstanding wall sections having adjacent flanged portions at their lateral edges which extend outwardly from the exterior surface, said upstanding wall sections including:
(a) first and second free standing right angle corner sections each having first and second leg portions which form part of a side wall and the rear wall, (b) at least one straight section disposed between leg portions of said right angle corner sections, and (c) at least one straight section disposed adjacent to each remaining leg portion of said first and second right angle corner sections, and means joining together the adjacent flanged portions of said plurality of wall sections.
a platform, a wall portion on said platform having interior and exterior surfaces, said wall portion including a rear wall and first and second side walls, all formed of a plurality of upstanding wall sections having adjacent flanged portions at their lateral edges which extend outwardly from the exterior surface, said upstanding wall sections including:
(a) first and second free standing right angle corner sections each having first and second leg portions which form part of a side wall and the rear wall, (b) at least one straight section disposed between leg portions of said right angle corner sections, and (c) at least one straight section disposed adjacent to each remaining leg portion of said first and second right angle corner sections, and means joining together the adjacent flanged portions of said plurality of wall sections.
2. The modular cab of claim 1 including a plurality of panel members fastened to the interior sur-face of the wall portion, with said panel members being arranged to conceal the joints between the plurality of wall sections.
12 49,064
12 49,064
3. The modular cab of claim 1 wherein the at least one straight section in each of the rear wall and first and second side walls are like dimensioned standard width sections.
4. The modular cab of claim 3 including at least one additional straight section in the rear wall, with said at least one additional straight section having a width dimension selected to provide a rear wall having the required width dimension.
5. The modular cab of claim 3 including at least one additional straight wall section in each of the first and second side walls, with the width dimensions thereof being selected to provide the required width dimensions for the first and second side walls.
6. The modular cab of claim 1 wherein the up-standing panel sections are metallic members, with their flanged portions being integral therewith.
7. The modular cab of claim 1 wherein the mean joining the flanged portions is completely including joint hardware fixed to both flanged portions to be joined together.
8. The modular cab of claim 1 wherein the at least one straight section in each of the rear and first and second side walls is a standard width section, with their flat major portions disposed between their lateral edges having a plurality of vertically elongated spacer receiving openings therein, and wherein the first and second leg portions of the first and second right angle corner sections each have a plurality of vertically elong-ated spacer receiving openings therein, and including a plurality of panel members on the interior surface of the wall portion with each having a plurality of spacer mem-bers fixed to one side thereof which extend into selected spacer receiving openings in the wall sections to provide support for said panel members, said panel members being arranged to conceal the joints between the plurality of wall sections.
13 49,064
13 49,064
9. The modular cab of claim 8 including at least one additional straight section in at least one of the walls having a non-standard width dimension selected to provide the required width dimension for the associated wall, with the panel members obtaining their support entirely from the standard width wall sections.
10. The modular cab of claim 1 wherein each wall section has first and second flanged portions, with the means joining adjacent flanged portions including:
a plurality of spacer members having head and shank portions, with their shank portions being fixed to said first flanged portion in predetermined vertically spaced relation with one another, an elongated, vertically slidable, locking mem-ber slidably fixed to said second flanged portion, said locking member having a plurality of verti-cally spaced, vertically oriented elongated slots therein having upper and lower ends, with its lower end having an enlarged spacer-head-receiving portion, and with a narrow-er, spacer-shank-receiving portion extending upwardly therefrom towards its upper end, said second flange por-tion having a plurality of vertically spaced openings therein, said slots and openings of said locking member and said second flanged portion, respectively, being disposed to define a plurality of cooperative pairs, with portions of the slot and opening of each pair being aligned as the locking member is operated between prede-termined upper and lower travel limits, each of said spacer members extending through an opening defined by a cooperative pair, with the first and second flanged portions being locked tightly together when the locking member has been forced towards its lower travel limit.
a plurality of spacer members having head and shank portions, with their shank portions being fixed to said first flanged portion in predetermined vertically spaced relation with one another, an elongated, vertically slidable, locking mem-ber slidably fixed to said second flanged portion, said locking member having a plurality of verti-cally spaced, vertically oriented elongated slots therein having upper and lower ends, with its lower end having an enlarged spacer-head-receiving portion, and with a narrow-er, spacer-shank-receiving portion extending upwardly therefrom towards its upper end, said second flange por-tion having a plurality of vertically spaced openings therein, said slots and openings of said locking member and said second flanged portion, respectively, being disposed to define a plurality of cooperative pairs, with portions of the slot and opening of each pair being aligned as the locking member is operated between prede-termined upper and lower travel limits, each of said spacer members extending through an opening defined by a cooperative pair, with the first and second flanged portions being locked tightly together when the locking member has been forced towards its lower travel limit.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US26272481A | 1981-05-11 | 1981-05-11 | |
| US262,724 | 1981-05-11 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1174425A true CA1174425A (en) | 1984-09-18 |
Family
ID=22998750
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000401417A Expired CA1174425A (en) | 1981-05-11 | 1982-04-22 | Modular elevator cab |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1174425A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4635756A (en) * | 1985-07-09 | 1987-01-13 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Elevator cab |
| US4875552A (en) * | 1986-07-29 | 1989-10-24 | Montgomery Elevator Company | Modular elevator cab construction |
| US4986041A (en) * | 1988-12-19 | 1991-01-22 | Inventio Ag | Prefabricated elevator shaft modules |
-
1982
- 1982-04-22 CA CA000401417A patent/CA1174425A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4635756A (en) * | 1985-07-09 | 1987-01-13 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Elevator cab |
| US4875552A (en) * | 1986-07-29 | 1989-10-24 | Montgomery Elevator Company | Modular elevator cab construction |
| US4986041A (en) * | 1988-12-19 | 1991-01-22 | Inventio Ag | Prefabricated elevator shaft modules |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4228630A (en) | Window frame construction | |
| US5842545A (en) | Elevator cab assembly and method of assembling same | |
| US4266386A (en) | Panel joint for assembling panel members | |
| US6701689B2 (en) | Stud spacer | |
| EP0756041B1 (en) | A fabricated structure, especially a housing for a generator set, and a method of fabricating such a structure | |
| CA1237867A (en) | Frame connector system | |
| US7793482B2 (en) | Wall fastener | |
| US4021988A (en) | Metal frame construction | |
| US5957060A (en) | Shelving system | |
| CA1149573A (en) | Panel joints | |
| CA2445476C (en) | Panel fitment system | |
| CA1174425A (en) | Modular elevator cab | |
| CA2106781C (en) | Partition frame structure | |
| US4046278A (en) | Air cargo container | |
| CA1184731A (en) | Framework block or brick consisting of modular elements of formed sheet steel or aluminium and comprising jointing means | |
| US4835906A (en) | Security grill for window opening | |
| AU6356701A (en) | Transportable building | |
| CA1324872C (en) | Metal stud | |
| JP2000063062A (en) | Elevator car | |
| KR0174352B1 (en) | Removable non-load bearing partitions | |
| JPH0522625Y2 (en) | ||
| JP2873557B2 (en) | Panel connection structure for vehicle carrier walls, etc. | |
| JPH02503336A (en) | Door frame and its manufacturing and installation method | |
| JPH0781310B2 (en) | Pillar mounting structure | |
| JP3880525B2 (en) | Wall |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEC | Expiry (correction) | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |