GB2540765A

GB2540765A - Privacy screen

Info

Publication number: GB2540765A
Application number: GB1513125.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ambrose Minster Kingston Frederick; Michael Poole Ian; Kingston Ryan
Original assignee: Nojerm Ltd
Current assignee: Nojerm Ltd
Priority date: 2015-07-24
Filing date: 2015-07-24
Publication date: 2017-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-24
Also published as: GB201513125D0; GB2540765B

Abstract

A privacy screen 1 comprises at least two individual screen panels 3, each screen panel being hinged to a neighbouring screen panel to allow each screen panel to pivot about a nominally vertical axis to allow the privacy screen to be configured in a variety of desired shapes. The hinge has a pivot axis offset from the central plane of each panel. The panels are held together by tongue element pivot fixings 15 that move in eccentrically around the pivot axis to llow the screen to be open and closed with minimal touching of parts so as to reduce the risk of contamination. Castors may be provided and the panels may be curved in the vertical so as to provide one convex and one concave face.

Description

Privacy Screen

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a privacy screen and in particular but not exclusively to a privacy screen used in the medical sector, for example in hospitals or medical consulting rooms. In particular the privacy screen has hygienic properties because its unique design makes it easily cleanable.

Background of the Invention

In certain environments, privacy of an individual is required and examples of such environments include hospitals and other institutions where an individual is being examined or discussions are taking place on a confidential basis. Privacy may be needed where the individual attending the institution needs privacy for example when they are in a hospital bed or if they are in a place such as a school or learning area where issues may be being discussed with that individual and a degree of confidentiality is needed.

Traditionally in hospitals privacy is facilitated by using curtains that are on tracks suspended from the ceiling and the curtain is pulled so the curtain extends around the area defined by the track. There are also screens which may be either a fixed panel or a number of panels attached to one another for separating areas, for example for separating the patient’s area from that of the next patient. Such screens are hinged together along their length so they can be opened and closed in a concertina like fashion.

Where there are multiple users of a space there is always the risk of cross contamination between individuals that touch the curtains or screens to open or close them and then they touch someone else. In such situations infection control and prevention of cross contamination via the screen is very important. In particular hospital-acquired infections have become a major cause for concern in the healthcare industry and in particular because of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Unfortunately the more antibiotics are used, the more resistant organisms such as bacteria become.

With the traditional hospital screens such as curtains, the curtains need to be removed on a regular basis, washed and rehung, which can be time consuming and costly as a laundry service is needed. There are disposable curtains but again there is the attendant cost and logistics of the purchase of new curtains, the logistics of getting replacement curtains to the correct place and also there are disposal costs of curtains that may have been contaminated with biohazardous materials. Furthermore, in the long periods between cleans or changes these curtains, which are frequently handled by staff, visitors and patients have an extensive opportunity to acquire and therefore dispense infection from hand-touching, and air-borne germs that are on the curtains.

In the case of ward privacy screens, there are screens formed of single units or folding concertina-type screen or blinds and these are constructed in such way that there are multiple adjacent touching parts. These touching parts include the fixings holding the panels together and /or other components forming the panels themselves, which gives ample opportunities for microbes to lodge on the screen surfaces, in crevices and comers of the screens or in joints between the screen components. The multiple touching parts and complicated formations makes thorough cleaning difficult or impossible because of the difficulty in accessing all surfaces of the screen construction.

To date there is no privacy screen that avoids the above issues of contamination and which is also easy to use whilst still retaining its effectiveness as a privacy screen. The current invention seeks to avoid the issues of the prior art by providing a privacy screen that has minimal joints between surfaces or even surfaces that come into contact with one another, so is easy to keep clean, it also has an absolute minimum of surface features that can harbour bugs whilst at the same time still retaining the privacy of individuals shielded by the screen.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a privacy screen formed of at least a first and a second screen panel, each screen panel having a main body and an end section which is arranged to be positioned in proximity to an end section of an adjacent panel, with said first and second panels being pivotally connected to one another by at least one hinge, characterised in that: the hinge has a pivot axis that is offset from the central plane of each screen panel; and the end sections of each screen panel comprise tongue elements shaped such that when the privacy screen is in an extended position (i.e. when the panels are opened out) at least a portion of adjacent tongues overlap and lie substantially parallel to one another but do not touch, whereby when the first and second panels are moved around the pivot axis of the hinge the tongue elements move eccentrically around the pivot axis so the tongue elements do not touch when moved. The way the panels are connected has the particular feature that it is not possible for a gap to be formed between the panels so that people can see through the screen. The emergence of a gap that people can look through between the panels when they are placed around an area, is avoided until one panel is folded back at more than 90 degrees relative to the other and this provides a screen that retains the privacy of individuals. There is also the advantage that the panels can be folded back flat against each other for storage to save space when not in use.

It is preferred that the hinge is positioned at the top of the privacy screen. Typically though the hinge is both at the top and bottom of the privacy screen.

However it is envisaged that there is a hinge at the top and the bottom of the privacy screen.

The or each hinge is formed of a bracket that is shaped such that the pivot axis is offset from the central plane of the first and second panel when in the extended position.

It is preferred that the bracket is of a curved shaped.

Preferably the hinge includes a spring to bias the hinge in a particular direction.

It is preferred that in situ, the tongue of the first panel is concave while the tongue of the second panel is convex. Typically the panels to which the tongues are attached can move by way of the tongues (which allow for an eccentric movement about a pivot point) so the panels can nest within one another. This movement allows the panels to be collapsed to form a compact structure for ease of stowage of the screen. The majority of the panels have the same type of curved shape which allows them to nest next to one another. Furthermore, the panels have a smooth outer surface, without or with a minimum of fixings or recesses or crevices which can harbour dirt or bacteria.

It is envisaged that a panel at one end of a series of panels making up the privacy screen has a fixing to allow the privacy screen to be secured to a wall.

Preferably a panel at an end of a series of panel making up the privacy screen has a hand hold to enable a user to move the screen.

Preferably the hand hold is provided by a recess moulded in proximity to a side edge of a panel at the end of the screen. The recess can be in the side edge or near to the side edge but is readily accessible for a user. The moulded recess is integral to the surface of the panel and rather than being in the form of a bolt on handle as in the prior art, it provides a hand hold with no protuberances because it is part of the panel and so it is easy to clean by hand and does not have crevasses that could harbor microbes. Typically, the internal radii of the handle are about 10mm, large enough for a finger behind a cloth to clean thoroughly.

It is preferred that one or more of the panels has an antimicrobial coating.

Preferably the antimicrobial coating includes silver or copper. Other antimicrobial materials which typically are based on metals can be used or combinations of those materials. Having combinations of materials can help reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistances developing.

It is preferred that for ease of movement one or more of the panels has a castor to allow the privacy screen to be moved.

It is envisaged that the or each castor can be fitted with a locking mechanism. A typical locking mechanism is one using a lever which can be moved between a compressed state where the or each castor is locked in position so the panel cannot move to a non-compressed state that allows the castor to move so that the or each panel can be repositioned.

It is envisaged that each panel has a blind hole for receiving a shaft forming part of a castor.

It is envisaged that the shaft includes a suspension system. Having a suspension system allows the panel to move over uneven surfaces without juddering or losing support from the floor, so making it easier and safer for the person deploying the privacy screen to move it.

Preferably the suspension system is provided by a spring located in the shaft which contacts with the castor.

Brief Description of the Figures

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures by way of example only, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a privacy screen according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a section of the privacy screen shown of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the joint between two screen panels;

Figure 4 shows an alternative view of the joint of Figure 3;

Figures 5A - 5D show plan views of two screen panels at different angles with respect to each other;

Figure 6 illustrates an exploded view of a panel hinge;

Figure 7a illustrates an exploded view of an upper wall bracket for a screen panel;

Figure 7b illustrates and exploded view of a lower wall bracket for a screen panel; and Figures 8A and 8B show perspective views of a castor.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a privacy screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. The privacy screen 1 is made up of a number of individual screen panels 3, each screen panel being hinged to a neighbouring screen panel to allow each screen panel to pivot about a nominally vertical axis to allow the privacy screen to be configured in a variety of desired shapes. Some of the screen panels 3 may have a castor 5 secured to the bottom of the screen panel to support the weight of the privacy screen and allow the screen to be moved and/or for its configuration to be altered. The number of castors required will vary with the number of individual screen panels in the privacy screen as a whole and the size and/or weight of the individual screen panels. In the particular embodiment illustrated the screen panel 3 defining an end of the privacy screen is provided with a handle 7 preferably located along at least a portion of the free edge of the screen panel, the handle being provided for the purpose of allowing the privacy screen to be gripped by a user to facilitate movement of the privacy screen as a whole and/or movement of individual screen panels to permit configuration of the panels into the desired shape. The handle 7 may be formed as a separate raised element secured to the individual screen panel, for example by screws, or more preferably may be integrally formed with the screen panel as a raised or recessed area. An integrally formed handle with a concave edge radius large enough to be easily accessed by a wiping surface such as a cloth or cleaner’s finger reduces the likelihood of harbouring germs and can be easily cleaned because there are no fixings with connecting areas which are difficult to clean. The integral handle envisaged has a relatively long length so that it is easily accessed by persons of different heights, and there is also preferably a gentle ramp at the top and bottom so that it can be cleaned with a single swipe of the hand from top to bottom. By having the recess as being integral to the moulded surface of the panel, this avoids using joints and or fixings which could harbor germs. Further as the recess is located centrally in the side of the panel the panel can be incorporated into the screen either way up with no loss of convenience to the operator. The recess is relatively long from top to bottom so that it is convenient for use by persons of different heights, and the top and bottom extents of the recess are formed of gently sloping ramps, and the concave edges in the recess are of similar radius to the end of the human finger, so that the recess can be easily and thoroughly cleaned by wiping from top to bottom.

At the end of the privacy screen opposite to the handle 7, the screen illustrated in Figure 1 is provided with a pair of wall brackets 9 arranged to pivotally secure the privacy screen to a wall or other fixed vertical structure. In other embodiments the privacy screen 1 may be completely free standing, in which case a handle 7 may be provided in each of the individual screen panels 3 at either end of the privacy screen. The system retains privacy between partitioned off areas (for example in a ward) at all angles up to and exceeding 90 degrees between adjacent panels. If the screen is free standing, for stability of the screen, at each castor position one castor is attached to each end of a beam lying at right angles to the screen’s main face, with the beam’s centre mounted to the bottom of the panel and the beam’s length being sufficient to ensure stability of the screen.

Figure 2 illustrates a section of the privacy screen shown in Figure 1, in this case four separate screen panels 3, and shows that by virtue of each panel being hinged together various different configurations of the privacy screen may be obtained as desired. The edge profiling and offset hinging system is an important feature to allow for relative movement of the screens. Also, the screen system is ultra-smooth and is hinged and connected with an almost total absence of bugtrapping surfaces or joints, yet maintains privacy and enables total and effective cleaning. The screen has rounded edges and minimal crevices or sharp edges which are easier to wipe clean than the surfaces of conventional screens so making the whole product more hygienic.

The profile of the vertical edges of each panel is designed to permit the adjacent panels’ edges to pivot relative to the aforementioned panel when the screen set is folded or unfolded, without contact between panels yet with no visibility through the gap between them until they are at an angle of more than 90 degrees. The relative movement of the adjacent panels is defined by the pivot point at the top and bottom being non-central or even outside the envelope of the panels’ horizontal cross sections. This is achieved by means of either shaped ends to each panel, top and bottom, or by metal or composite plates attached to the top and bottom ends of the panels. The edge profiles of the panels are also designed to minimise the danger or impact of finger pinching when the panels are folded or unfolded as the screens are moved in or out. These profiles are also designed to permit total cleaning of the surfaces of the panels without any dismantling having to take place. The avoidance of a long hinge joining the edges of the panels to each other brings the benefit of very minimal pivoting surfaces and therefore very little opportunity for harbouring bugs. The modularity of the system is such that each panel can be disconnected and removed, allowing total individual cleaning of all surfaces, even in a bath, even those in the connection and castor areas. The modularity also permits construction or rearrangement or alteration of the screen set to be longer or shorter or to incorporate panels of different appearances or colours, and to save cost if one panel is damaged, because it can be replaced solo and its demise does not write off the whole screen set. It also avoids the problems associated with a fixed set of screens which cannot be reconfigured for different situations and due to the unique construction panels may be used either way up which has the further advantage of decreasing moulding cost and increasing assembly and configuration options.

Additionally, the main surfaces of the panels are smooth and either planar or curved in a horizontal plane, one face of each panel being convex and its opposite face being concave, such that the whole screen set can be neatly folded back concertina-style without wasting space. The use of a curved face gives the panels greater rigidity and therefore a better strength to weight ratio and also reduces the concentration of reflected light towards the patient or the occupant of the screened off area. The internal cavity of the panels may be occupied with foam, cardboard or other material to deaden sound transmission through the screen and hence give auditory as well as visual privacy. A further advantage is that when the first and second panels are moved around the pivot axis of the hinge it is not possible to see through the gap between the panels until the panels are at a relative angle to one another of more than 90 degrees. Also, the end sections of the panels are shaped with rounded profiles such that the danger or severity of the operator’s fingers getting pinched are greatly minimized, and whereby the surfaces of the panels including the end sections are smooth and thus easy to keep clean, and because of the hinge geometry the panels’ surfaces are accessible for thorough cleaning without being dismantled.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of one of the hinges 11 pivotally connecting adjacent screen panels 3, as well as the edge profiles of the respective panels. Each screen panel 3 has cut-out corner portion over which the hinge 11 is formed. The end region of each panel 3 is in the form of a tongue 12, which as shows is concave on one panel and the adjacent tongue on the next panel is concave so the profiles of the adjacent tongues allow them to inter-fit or mirror one another when the screens are folded out. Each hinge includes a first hinge bracket 13 affixed along the top (as illustrated) and/or bottom edge of a first screen panel and a second hinge bracket 15 secured to a second, adjacent, screen panel. The hinge brackets are curved so that they are offset from the plane where the edge regions of adjacent panels 3 align. Each of first and second hinge brackets is substantially elongate and planar and arranged such that their respective free end regions overlap one another. The free end region of the first hinge bracket 13 includes a hole through which a vertical hinge pin 17 formed on the free end region of the second hinge bracket 15 passes, the hinge pin 17 thus defining the pivot axis about which the adjacent screen panels 3 pivot with respect to each other.

The pivoting system between screens is typically a metal or composite bracket and as illustrated can be in the form of a key-shaped spindle in one bracket locating in a keyhole- shaped aperture in the connecting bracket as shown in Figure 3. This allows for disconnection of adjacent screens but only when the screens are fully folded closed. Alternatively, the pivot may consist of a smooth (e.g. button- head bolt) screwed tightly into one panel’s bracket as shown in Figure 6.

The screw mates with a dry polymer bearing which in turn is located into the other panel’s connecting bracket end with the flange of the polymer bearing between the two bracket surfaces and the whole pivot being fastened by a similar, but smaller bolt passed through the second panel’s bracket end hole in the opposite direction and screwed into the first bolt’s threaded interior and bearing onto its own bracket by means of a dry polymer washer. Furthermore, at each pivot point there may be a spring acting in a rotary direction, so as to create a small rotary force when the screens are unfolded, such that when the operator pushes the screen set back to fold it up, the springs help the panels to fold against each other naturally, though the force is not sufficient to prevent the screen set from remaining in any position chosen by the operative.

As better seen in Figure 4, the vertical edges of the adjacent screen panels 3 are configured as corresponding curved tongues 19 that substantially overlap one another. It can also be seen in Figure 4 that each of the end regions 21 and 23 of the respective first and second hinge brackets 13 and 15 is angled with respect to the centre of the screen panels so as to laterally displace the pivot axis of the hinge 11 from the centre axis of the screen panels 3. The lateral displacement of the hinge pivot axis, in conjunction with the shape of the curved tongues 19 of each screen panel, results in the overlapping curved tongues 19 being maintained spaced apart from one another and remaining overlapping through the majority of the range of movement of the hinge. This is further illustrated in Figures 5A through to 5D which show two adjacent screen panels at respective angles 180, 90, 0 and more than 90 degrees (typically 120 degrees) to one another. Only when at about 120 degrees do the overlapping curved tongues 19 create a clear line of vision between the edges of the two panels, as indicated by the solid straight line marked in Figure 5D. This maximum angle of privacy may be reduced or increased by altering the geometry of the tongues.

Figure 6 shows an exploded view of an alternative hinge arrangement. In this arrangement both first and second hinge brackets 13 and 15 are formed with overlapping circular holes. A first hollow grommet 25 is arranged to be located within the hole in the first hinge bracket 13, with a flange 27 formed on the grommet creating a washer between the two brackets 13,15. The external threaded portion of hinge bolt 29 is fastened into the hole in hinge bracket 15, which is also threaded (not shown) to receive the external threaded portion of hinge bolt 29. The internal bore of the hinge bolt 29 is threaded and receives a corresponding externally threaded portion of an upper hinge bolt 31, with a further externally smooth portion of the lower hinge bolt 29 extending into the grommet 25 whose flange 27 is positioned between the first hinge bracket 13 and second hinge bracket 15. Threaded upper hinge bolt 31 is arranged to pass through low friction washer 33 and be received by lower hinge bolt 29 with a washer 33 being preferably located between the head of the hinge bolt 31 and the first hinge bracket 13. This arrangement ensures that there are no exposed screw threads in the hinge arrangement 11 to harbour germs. Also the whole assembly can be fully dismantled for cleaning.

An exploded view of an upper wall bracket is shown in Figure 7a, with a wall bracket 35a and hinge support arm 37a. Grommet 72 has a flange and is pushed through the hole in bracket 13 either upwards, as shown, or downwards, and acts as a dry bearing. There is a holding pin 70 with an externally threaded portion which passes through the support arm 37a which is threaded internally to receive the pin which then passes through washers 71, through support hinge bracket 13 and through grommet 72. This arrangement allows the bracket 13 to be moved in a controlled manner so the privacy screen can easily be positioned by an operator who can drop the lower support hinge bracket 15 on to the lower wall bracket. The hole of the upper support hinge bracket 13 can then be positioned under the pin 70, the operator can then screw the pin 70 through the support arm 37a, and through the unthreaded grommet 72 in the support hinge bracket 13 to secure the screen to the wall with minimum effort.

An exploded view of a lower wall bracket and wall hinge according to a further embodiment of the present invention can be seen in Figure 7b. The lower wall bracket includes a fixing plate 35 arranged to be secured to a wall or other suitable vertical surface. Extending substantially horizontally from the fixing plate 35b is a hinge support arm 37b at the free end of which a substantially vertical hinge pin 39 is formed. A low friction washer 41 is arranged to be located over the hinge pin 39, with the free end of a first or second hinge bracket 13 or 15 also being located over the hinge pin. A grommet 43 is also located over the hinge pin 39, the grommet being simultaneously located within the hole formed in the end region of the hinged bracket through which the hinge pin passes. Again, if desired, the grommet 43 may pass through the bracket 15 upwards instead of downwards and this may also apply to the upper wall bracket assembly. Again, the lack of exposed screw threads minimises the harbouring of germs and infections in the hinge assembly. The assembly allows for an operative to easily secure the lower part of the system first, so that he or she can attend single-handed to the upper end. Dry polymer washers may be used to pack any vertical space between the end brackets and the wall brackets, and to give a bearing for the rotation of the first panel. The wall brackets are dimensioned (a) to allow the screen to fold back parallel to the wall and (b) to allow the screen to clear any trunking or other equipment projecting from the wall. Optionally the bracket may also be glued to the wall with sealant or adhesive, neatly smoothed at the edges to eliminate the hosting of microbes.

If the screens are desired to be free standing, rather than wall mounted, then the castor system will be formed of two castors at each castor point, mounted at each end of a beam which in turn is mounted to the underside of the panels at right angles to the panel’s main faces and central to the castors, to give the screen adequate stability. A similar sprung system to that described below can be used either between the castors and the beam and / or between the beam and the screen panel.

Figures 8A and 8B show cut-away views of a castor arrangement suitable for use with the present invention. Each castor assembly 45 includes a pivot pin 47 arranged to be located within a blind hole formed within an edge of a screen panel 3. A low friction grommet 49 through which the pivot pin passes is also located within the blind hole to provide a low friction bearing about which the pivot pin and thus the castor may easily turn. Also located within the blind hole is a pusher element 51 arranged to freely move along at least a portion of the blind hole and have a bottom surface in contact with the top of the pivot pin 47. A top surface of the pusher element is in contact with a spring 53 located within the blind hole. The spring 53 functions to bias the pivot pin of the washer out of the blind hole. However, a circlip 55 or corresponding feature located towards the top of the pivot pin prevents the pin and thus castor assembly being urged entirely out of the blind hole by the spring. The spring 53 allows a privacy screen including a number of screen panels and thus castors to be placed on an uneven floor surface, since the individual castors can move up and down relative to the bottom of the privacy screen.

The system is able to move across the floor on a series of castors 60 which may be braked or unbraked by operating a pedal 61, and are sprung loaded to cater for unevenness in floor surfaces. The mounting of each castor is push-fit, making assembly and removal for cleaning quick and easy. The stem of the castor is housed in a tube welded to the metal end bracket and extending internally into the interior of the panel, but sealed to prevent ingress of water or infection, so that total immersion of each panel for cleaning and disinfection in extreme cases is possible. The castor’s stem has a circular-type ring preventing the castor from dropping out of the tube on its own, but enabling easy hand assembly and dismantling. The ring is retained by a dry polymer flanged bearing which in turn is push-fitted into the tube. The end of the castor’s stem bears against a spring which in turn bears against the closed inner end of the tube. There may be a polymer washer between the stem and the spring end. The whole sprung assembly can be easily removed from the panel for cleaning or replacement and the dry flanged bearing obviates the use of a fluid lubricant which could collect dirt and infection. The castors system is designed to reduce the gap under the screen for better privacy between patients’ areas. The unused holes for castors can be closed and sealed with a dome headed insert to keep out the ingress of dirt and bacteria and even if dirt enters the blind hole because of the simplicity of construction it is easy to clean. Where a screen does not need to have a castor unused holes for castors can be closed and sealed with a dome headed insert to remove the risk of contamination.

The panels themselves may be made from Glass Fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) or other plastic or composite material, into which an antibacterial additive may be put, so as to give the surfaces an attribute hostile to the hosting or survival of bacteria, all the year round and not just immediately after being cleaned. The metal parts may be made from stainless steel for cleanliness or other metal including alloys containing metals hostile to bacteria. Alternatively they may be coated with an antibacterial coating, for example one containing silver or copper. The adhesives and sealants used to attach the metal brackets to the screens and / or to the wall may contain an antibacterial additive. The bearings and washers may be of dry polyamide and may also be food / medical compliant (for example FDA Compliant). The castors may be standard, or anti-static and / or with antibacterial properties.

The panel of the invention has number of particular advantages in the whole assembly including the parts for the wall mounting, the panel connectors and the castor and its associated mounting and suspension can be dismantled for cleaning and/or disinfection, making the whole system very hygienic.

The privacy screen is also strong as the vertical surfaces are convex on one side and concave on the other and this also reduces the weight of the panels and reflective glare by not having a large flat surface. Also each panel can be used either way up, giving operational flexibility in configuring the extent and orientation of the screen.

The bearings consist typically of dry polyamide sleeves and/or washers to prevent the attraction and retention of dirt and germs. Also some or all metal parts are made of stainless steel, or coated with an anti-bacterial coating, to safeguard against retention of germs.

Finally, the screen can be wall mounted or free standing and if free standing typically castors are mounted in pairs on either side of the panel so leaving a gap so that the castor does not come into contact with the panel when turned which further adds to the feature of maneuverability whilst maintaining high hygiene standards.

It should be noted that the above mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention and that alteration or modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as described and claimed. It is also to be noted that the invention covers not only individual embodiments but also combinations of any of the embodiments described.

Claims

1. A privacy screen formed of at least a first and a second screen panel, each screen panel having a main body and an end section which is arranged to be positioned in proximity to an end section of an adjacent panel, with said first and second panels being pivotally connected to one another by at least one hinge, characterised in that: the hinge has a pivot axis that is offset from the central plane of each screen panel; and the end sections of each screen panel comprise tongue elements shaped such that when the privacy screen is in an extended position at least a portion of adjacent tongues overlap and lie substantially parallel to one another but do not touch, whereby when the first and second panels are moved around the pivot axis of the hinge the tongue elements move eccentrically around the pivot axis so the tongue elements do not touch when moved.

2. A privacy screen according to claim 1, wherein there the hinge is positioned at the top of the privacy screen.

3. A privacy screen according to claim 1, wherein there is a hinge both at the top and the bottom of the privacy screen.

4. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each hinge is formed of a bracket that is shaped such that the pivot axis is offset from the central plane of the first and second panel when in the extended position.

5. A privacy screen according to claim 4, wherein the bracket is of a curved shape such that the end of the curve is offset from the plane of the first and second panels when in the extended position.

6. A privacy screen according to any preceding claims, wherein the hinge includes a spring to bias the hinge in a particular direction.

7. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein in situ the tongue of the first panel is concave while the tongue of the second panel is convex.

8. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein a panel at one end of a series of panels making up the privacy screen has a fixing to allow the privacy screen to be secured to a wall.

9. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein the panel at an end of a series of panels making up the privacy screen has a hand hold to enable a user to move the screen.

10. A privacy screen according to claim 9, wherein the hand hold is provided by a recess moulded in proximity to a side edge of a panel at the end of the screen.

11. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein one or more of the panels has an antimicrobial coating.

12. A privacy screen according to claim 11, wherein the antimicrobial coating includes silver or copper or other metal based antimicrobial compound.

13. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim, wherein one or more of the panels has a castor to allow the privacy screen to be moved.

14. A privacy screen according to claim 13, wherein the or each castor can be altered between a locked position so the panel cannot moved to a unlocked position that allows the castor to move so that the or each panel can be repositioned.

15. A privacy screen according to claim 14, wherein each panel has a blind hole for receiving a shaft forming part of a castor.

16. A privacy screen according to claim 15, wherein the blind hole includes a suspension system that contacts with the castor.

17. A privacy screen according to claim 16, wherein the suspension system is formed of a spring.

18. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim where parts that move relative to one another are demountable to allow for cleaning.

19. A privacy screen according to any preceding claim where the main body of each panel is curved in the vertical to provide first convex face and corresponding second concave face.

20. A privacy screen as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures