US2944282A

US2944282A - Concealable partitions

Info

Publication number: US2944282A
Application number: US834058A
Authority: US
Inventors: Greco Michael
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-08-17
Filing date: 1959-08-17
Publication date: 1960-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 1977-07-12

Description

July 12, 1960 M. GRECO coucmmswpmmous 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1959 INILNI'OR Mic MFA GWEcO i ATTDR EY 1 2,944,282 CONCEALABLE PARTITIONS Michael Grace, 42 w. 13th s New' York, NY.

Filed Aug. 1119593. No. 834,058 Claims (31. 16-87) This invention relates to partitions used to form a temporarywall thereby dividing a single large room into two smaller rooms. 1

It is an object of this invention to provide jam proof sliding partitions forming a wall.

It is a further object to provide an improved ceiling track for the guidance and storage of said sliding partitions.

It is another object to provide improved ceiling track means and improved floor track means for facilitating the jam proof storage of said partitions.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which; 1

Fig. 1 is an end view of Fig. 4 showing three wall partitions, broken away in part disposed in storage, one of said doors being in transverse section to show the roller means for supporting the weight of the door adjacent a floor guidance track and to show-the T-sha-ped ceiling guide used to captively hold the top of the partition in the ceiling tracks. and to guide the :top of the partition during the process of storing the partition into predetermined stalls,

Fig. 2 is a side view of a pair of partitions, broken away in part, showing the varying height of the pair of T-ceiling guide bars' and-the pair of floor guide lugs used for each respective door, 1

' Fig. 3 is a section view of the holder block showing angle to the single floor track, v v Fig. 6 is a top view of a modified floor turning block for shunting partitions from a single track into storage stalls disposed parallel to the single track and used in coraction with a similar ceiling block,

.-Fig. 7 is anend view of a modified ceiling turning block, showing the manner of constructing the block from suitable larninated plates instead of milling it out of a single piece of metal,

Fig. 8 is asection view of a modified floor turning block showing the manner of construction used in lieu of a single suitably grooved metal'block, f

Fig.. 9 is a perspectivefview of a'wedge used in the modified turning block of Fig. 8. v

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the ceiling track. Turning to the drawing, and. particularly to Figs-l and 2, the individual and separate partitionsll) are each provided with a pair of T-guide bars 1-1 disposed j in spaced-apart relationship in the top edge of the partitions and also with a pair of spaced-apart floor guide lugs 12 for traveling in a floor track 13. 4

Each'pair of T-guide bars 11 of a partition is captively held in its respective T-shaped ceiling channel. The height of the T-guide bar of the partitions varies with the separate partitions.

Where three storage stalls are employed, the heights of'the pairs or" T-bars on the three partitions varies so as Patented July 12, 1960 ice i on the top of the respective partitions is a respective pair of lugs 12 disposed directly beneath the bars 11. The heights of the pairs of lugs 12 for each partition varies so that where three storage stalls are employed three pairs of lugs heights are used, one height for each partition.

All the lugs of all the partitions travel in a suitably deep floor track 13 separating the room to be partitioned.

However, the separate partitions 10 are routed to predetermined storage stalls by va floor routing block 14 co-acting with the respective pairs of lugs 12 of varying heights in conjunction with a co-acting ceiling routing block 15M co-acting with the respective pairs of T- guide bars 11 of a respective partition 10.

Routing block

14 and 15M are each preferably integral metal blocks having suitable grooves milled therein by conventional machine tools. The ceiling block 15M is disposed directly over its co-acting floor block 14- to facilitate turning of the separate partitions into their respective storage stalls.

Where two partitions are each provided with T-guide bars 11 of the same height and with suitable co-acting lugs 12 of the same heightor depth, then in this instance two partitions are routed to a suitable storage receiving available behind the wall 19. However, each stall 15 the manner of supporting the weight of the door on the and 16 and 17 has a suitable top groove adapted to re ceive a respective pair of T-bars 11 therein and a suitable bottom co-acting groove adapted to receive a respective pair of lugs -12. The T-bars 1.1 are integral elements having an oval or round head plate 20 integral with a stem 21 of suitable length. The stem 21 is disposed slidingly in an aperture plate 22 secured by screws over a suitably deep cavity 23 in the top edge of each partition. The purpose of the platen is to prevent wear of the cavity 23 and may be omitted if desired.

The lugs 12 are part of an integral U-shapedyoke 24 whereinthe lug 12 is a leg of the yoke given a p re-determined height or depth sothat it may frictionally engage pre-determined curved surfaces in the jfloor turning block 1'4. The yoke 24 is provided with an integral spindle 25; A support 26 having an integral pair of

parallel plates

27 and 28 is secured within a suitable cavity in'the bottom edge of the partition 10. a

As shown in Fig.' 3, the plate 27 is provided with an aperture to slidingly recei'vethe mom threaded top of spindle 25. The spindle ZS is provided with a threaded wide portion 25X disposed in a threaded aperture provi'ded in plate 28. I

. A spring 29 may be disposed on the wide portion 25X andagainst the bottom surface of plate 27. Preferably a' locking pin 30 is disposed in a suitable transverse aperture in the top of the spindle 25. The

legs

12 and 33 of the yoke 24 are each provided with suitable apertures anda wheel 31 and axle 32. is jouinaled therein.

it groove 13. l

" Preferably the ceiling rail 40 is of extruded metal, for

example, aluminum alloy, but it may be made by suitably laminating metal sheet stock (Fig. 7).

The ceiling track 48 mates with the ceiling block 15M so that the channel grooves of the track 40 continue without interruption into block 15M.

In block 15M the separated parallel disposed head receiving channels have a common channel stem 41 mating with the different levels in track 40. These composite channels are separated in block 15M into individual channels for use of T-bars having a common height. Thus all the stems of the T-bars ride in the stem channel 41 of the ceiling groove but only stems 21 of predetermined height ride in the predetermined stall channels.

The floor block 14- is preferably made from a single block of metal by milling out a groove of a common width at three diiferent heights at pro-selected locations. Thus groove 42 is a continuation of groove 13 of the floor and receives all lugs 12X, 12Y and 12Z. The groove 42 is milled in a suitable curve through 90 degrees to give the groove leading to stall 16. At a suitable point directly in line with the floor groove 13, the milling cutter is raised and a curved groove 43 of less depth than groove 42 is cut in the block 14. Next the milling cutter is raised again to cut a third groove 44 of least height and adapted to receive the shortest lug 12X. Clearly groove 43 receives lug IZY and groove 42 receives lug 122.

In operation the lugs 12X of the partition X ride without opposition or hitting an obstruction to rub against the outer wall of groove 44 and to rout the partition 10X to stall 17 having the stall groove of least depth. However the lugs 12X hit the outer wall of groove 43' at point 4-5 and are turned into groove 43 and thence into stall 16 of similar intermediate groove depth. Partition ltlZ has its lugs 12Z engage the outer wall of groove 42 at the turning point 46 thereby directing the partition NZ to stall 15.

As shown in Fig. 8, the floor block X may be made by cutting the block with curved grooves of uniform depth 42 and thereafter inserting wedge 47 of suitable height 48 into a middle groove and wedge 49 of height 50 in the extreme outer groove. In any event the floor turning block has three grooves at diiferent levels'leading to a common groove which mates in height with the floor groove 13.

Similarly the ceiling block 15M is preferably an integral block provided with suitable T-shaped spacedapart T-curved grooves at different levels meeting to form a common ceiling groove having separate channels for the T-elements of the T-bars 11.

Thus a T-bar head of T-bar 11X disposed in undercut channel 51 of the composite channel is slidingly routed to a separate channel 51X and thence into a stall track having a groove of 51X configuration disposed directly over floor stall track 17. Similarly channel 52 of the composite groove of element 4-0 is separated at a different level togive the separate T-groove 52X of intermediate height to receive T-bar 1 1Y (Fig. l).

Groove 52X connects to a like groove inthe ceiling directly over floor stall l6. Lastly channel 53 of the composite rail 40 is separated in ceiling block 15M into a separate channel 53X which is of greatest stem height andadapted to receive T-bar llZ.

The cutting out of the metal from the ceiling block IBM is done in the manner described for the floor block 14 using conventional milling tools, but in the case of the ceiling block 15M undercutting mill tools are used to provide the recessed

channels

51, 52 and 53.

The ceiling block may optionally be made by use of suitablelaminations- (Fig. 7) wherein suitable plates are separated by suitable spacers 55, the distance between a.

pair of opposed spacers being suitable to receive respective stem heads.

Clearly this invention is of generic scope and not limited to the illustrative embodiments.

I claim: I

l. A ceiling routing block adapted to receive T-guide bars of varying heights disposed in the top of respective partitions consisting essentially of an integral block having a composite inlet channel" opening having spacedapart parallel channels and a common stem channel communicating with separate channels of vaiying depth corresponding to the heights of the T'-bars and which curvingly merge into said composite channel whereby partitions having T-guide bars of varying pre-determined heights disposed in said composite channel are sorted into separate individual channels of varying depth disposed in parallel relationship.

2. A floor routing block for routing lugs of varying length at the base of a wall partition consisting essentially of an integral block having an incoming channel adapted to receive all lug lengths communicating with respective outgoing channels of pro-determined depths corresponding to the varying lengths of the routing 'lugs, a wall of each of the separated channels curvingly merging into the incoming channel to form a sliding surface for predetermined lug lengths.

3. A concealable wall apparatus comprising a plurality of vertically disposed and separately movable partitions; a pair of spaced-apart T-bars disposed in the top edge of each of said partitions, the T-bars of one partition varying in height from the T-bars of other partitions; a pair of spaced-apart roller means disposed in the bottom edge of each of said partitions adapted to support the Weight of the partition on the rollers, each of said roller means having a U-shaped yoke having a depending lug of predetermined length, the depending lugs of one partition varying in length with the depending lugs of other partitions; a ceiling guide rail having spaced-apart horizontally disposed channels communicating with a centrally disposed vertical channel, said T-bars of varying length of said partitions being disposed in respective receiving horizontally disposed channels of said ceiling guide'rail; a floor guide rail having a single vertically disposed channel adapted to receive the depending lugs of all of said roller means; a ceiling routing block engaging said ceiling guide rail and adapted to transfer partitions having T-bars of uniform height. into stalls adapted to receive said uniform height T-bars, and a floor routin'g block disposed directly below said ceiling block and adapted'to transfer partitions having lugs of uniform length into stalls adapted to receivesaid uniform" length lugs.

4. The. apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ceiling routing block has incoming spaced-apart horizontally disposed channels communicating with a centrally disposed er tical channel in registration with corresponding channels in said ceiling guide rail, said ceiling routing block having spaced Tsh'aped grooves of varying depth each merging at one end with said incoming channels, said T-shaped. grooves coacting with said T-bars of varying height for routing the top edge of said partitions into separated parallel disposed stalls;

5. The apparatus of claim 4'wherein the floor routing block is provided with an incoming channel of extended depth at one end, said incoming channel beingin registration with the channel of the floor guide rail, said floor routing block having spaced-apart grooves of varying depth emerging at the other end, said grooves co-acting with said lugs of corresponding varying length for routing the bottom edge of said partitions into separated parallel disposed floor stalls, said grooves of said floor block merging into said incoming channel in said floor block.

Reterences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES P ATENTS 2,072,092 Blodgett Mar. 2, 1937 Men-1.. wean-u,