US3107400A

US3107400A - Movable wall partition

Info

Publication number: US3107400A
Application number: US149955A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gordon F Anderson
Original assignee: HUGH STUBBINS AND ASSOCIATES I
Current assignee: HUGH STUBBINS AND ASSOCIATES I; HUGH STUBBINS AND ASSOCIATES Inc
Priority date: 1961-11-03
Filing date: 1961-11-03
Publication date: 1963-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1980-10-22

Description

Oct. 22, 1963 G. F. ANDERSON MOVABLE wALL PARTITION s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1961 INVENTOR. GORDON F ANDERSON BY A PIA 4w CMML ,t

ATTORN EYS Oct. 22, 1963 e. F. ANDERSON 3,107,400

MOVABLE WALL PARTITION Filed Nov. 3. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5

INVENTOR.

- m GORDON F ANDERSON T BY I (P 7 E m 2.60.1114! 4 M ATIQBNEYS Oct. 22, 1963 e. F. ANDERSON MOVABLE WALLPARTITION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 3, 1961 FIG? 8 D v] g w, 4 7.. n v w w FIGI I INVENTOR.

N 0 S R E D N A F N 0 D R 0 G 9 B F United States Patent v 3,107,4illl MQVABLE WALL PTlTlON Gordon F. Anderson, Water-town, Mass, assignor to Hugh Stuhhins and Associates, inc, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 149,955 6 Claims. (Cl. 2tl4) This invention relates generally to building construction and more specifically to an improved movable wall partition adapted for use in a room to vary the size of a classroom or the like.

Various types of shiftable partitions are now known in the building industry, the majority of which require the use of fixed tracks on the floor and ceiling and also necessitate the removal of furniture, radiators, light fixtures, or the like which are in the path of the partition during the shifting process. Furthermore, there are a variety of metal partitions which are secured to structural'supports in a room and must be disassembled prior to moving and transported to the desired new location and there reassembled. Since a certain amount of time and mechanical skill is involved in the moving of these heretofore known partitions, they have assumed the status of semifixed structures and defeat the purposes for which they were originally designed. Due to the difilculties inherent in these structures, a definite need has developed for a movable wall partition which may be simply and easily shifted to various locations within a room without the necessity of taking the partition completely apart and reassembling it at a new location or requiring the clearing of a path to allow movement of partition along fixed tracks.

Since one of the basic problems involved in shiftable wall partitions is the weight factor due to the necessity of disassembling the panels making up the partition, transporting them to a new location and reassembly, the panels are limited to being constructed of light weight materials. The panels are generally bolted together along longitudinal seams and the sealing of the panels to each other and to the side walls, floor and ceiling is usually ineffective and the partition acts simply as a space divider with the noise from one area filtering through to the second area.

Accordinglyy, one object of this invention is to provide a movable partition which may be simply and easily shifted to various locations within a room by unskilled personnel without the use of any tools.

Another object of this invention is to provide a movable partitionwhich is of substantially rigid construction.

A further'object of this invention is to provide a movable partition of modular construction which will effectively soundproof individual compartments from each other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel, useful and practical movable partition, whereby problems now present in the compartmenting of schoolrooms are effectively and simply solved.

in the accomplishment of these and other objects of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, a fairly rigid partition having a laterally extending pivot member is supported from transversely extending tracks in the ceiling by vertical support members so that the partition may be tilted out of its right angular relationship to the floor and ceiling to lie co-planar therewith and shifted to a new location.

it is one of the features of this invention that a laterally extending pivot member is spaced from the lower edge of the partition defining a horizontal axis so that the weight of the partition is distributed on opposite sides of the pivot member during the rotating movement.

Another feature or" this invention is the inclusion of a Bdhldb flexible and resilient sealing strip around the peripheral edges of the partition which abut with the side walls, ceiling and floor when the partition is in its vertical position to provide a soundproof joint.

Yet another feature of this invention is the construction of foldable wing portions which pivot into co-planar relationship with the partition prior to the transverse movement of the artition providing clearance between the partition and fixed units such as radiators, bookshelves and the like which are commonly integral with the area adjacent the side walls.

Other objects of this invention will, in part be obvious, and will, in part appear hereinafter.

in the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the partition erected at one location;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the partition with the side wings folded back upon a central partition prior to being pivoted on its axis;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the movable partition pivoted about its a:i

PEG. 4 is a view in front elevation of the wall partition.

FIG. 5 is a view in front elevation of the vertical support members and the lateral extending pivot member;

FIG. 6 is a view in section taken on line 66of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a View in elevation, partly in section, of the transversely extending channel members supporting the movable wall partition;

P16. 8 is an end view of the vertical support members;

FIG. 9 is a view in section taken on line 99 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken on line ltil0 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is view in section taken on line 11-11 of PK 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a vertical standing wall partition 14) positioned between the ceiling l2 and the floor 1d of a room 16 having end walls 18. Extending transversely of the room 16 are pairs of later ally spaced channels Ztl mounted in the ceiling 12 and comprise an elongated rectangular frame with a closed top surface 22, downwardly depending side walls 2 and a pair of

leg portions

26 and 28 separated from each other by an opening 3%. The end portions 32 of the leg portions 26 and 2%- are inclined upwardly in the direction of the top member 22 and spaced from the side walls 24 defining a pair of laterally spaced

channel members

34 and 36 for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the structural supporting members for the wall 10 include a pair of vertically extending laterally spaced T-bar members 40 connected at their lower ends by a laterally extending pivot member 42. The details of one of the T-bar members is illustrated in FIG. 8 and includes a pair of

flanges

44 and 46 joined along their medial-lateral surface by a normally extending third flange 48. The lower end of the flange 48 has an aperture 50 formed therein with the walls 51 acting as a journal for the distal ends of the laterally extending pivot bar 42. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the innermost flange 44 has a shoulder 52 spaced from the lower end of the structural support 40, a distance equivalent to one-half the thicknes of the wall partition 10 and operates as a stop member to prevent the wall partition from rotating more than through a 90 arc. The upper end 54 of the structural support 40 has a web 56 extending normal thereto and terminates in the laterally extending shaft 58-. The ends of the shaft 58 have journals 60 on which are fitted roller members 62 adapted to ride within the channels 26 and 2 8 to allow movement of the structural member 40 relative to the channel 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, there is shown a preferred Patented Get. 22, 1963 embodiment of this invention in which the partition is formed of modular construction enabling an insulating material such as fibre glass to be assembled with the partitions. The pivot member 42 extends through the center of the partition so that it is completely concealed from view and does not affect the decorative effect of either of the

exterior surfaces

64 and 66.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wall panel 10 is constructed of a central portion 68 and

wing portions

70 and 72. The

wing portions

70 and 72 are joined to the central portion 68 by vertically extending the piano hinges 74 so as to permit the wing portions to be folded back on the central portion prior to the pivotal movement. As illustrated in FIG. 1 and 5, access means such as a door 76 may be installed in either one or both of the wing portions, but for purposes of simplicity it has been shown in the drawings in only one of the wing portions. To insure alignment of the

wing portions

70 and 72 with the central portion 68 when the wings are laterally extended to define continuations of the central portion, a movable pin member 78, shown in FIG. 10, extends inwardly from the butt edges 80 of the wing portions '70 and 72 into interlocking engagement with an aperture 82 formed in a portion of the T-bar member 48. Furthermore, it will be seen by referring to FIG. 11 that a plate member 83 is secured to the butt edges 80 of each of the side wing members at the distal end thereof and extending normal thereto, which upon extension of the Wing members provides an effective and decorative closure to conceal the gap between the central portion 68 and the wing members.

To facilitate soundproofing the compartments from each other, the peripheral edges of the movable partition 10 have a resilient flexible ceiling strip 84 secured thereto which will be compressed on contact with the floor and ceiling. This ceiling strip may be made of rubber or any suitable flexible material such as one of the plastics which are in widespread use as insulating materials. The

wing portions

76 and 72 also have a resilient strip 86 which extends around their periphery having a portion 88 adapted to be compressed between the edges of the central panel and the butt edge 80 of the

Wing members

70 and 72 when the wings are in the extended position.

Since it is normally desired to have predetermined positions at which the partition would be erected, additional structural stop members 89 may be provided integral with the ceiling supports which extend downwardly so as to lies normal to the ceiling 12 and serve to provide a decorative peripheral edge member to eliminate the aperture between the upper edge of the partition and the sealing member. Furthermore, it may be desirable to pro vide vertically extending members at predetermined positions along the side walls which allow the wing members to extend into abutting relationship therewith and to seal the gap between the end of the wing members and the side walls.

When it is desired to shift the wall partition 10 transversely to a new location, the pin member 78 is retracted into the edges of the

wing members

70 and 72 and the wing members folded back on the hinge 74 so as to lie in co-planar relationship with the central portion 68 as illustrated in FIG. 3, frictional sockets 90 are provided on the central panel 68 which cooperate with bulbous headed projections 92 on the wing portions to retain the Wings firmly in contact and to prevent dislodgment during the pivotal movement. The entire wall partition is then pivoted by means of the pivot member 42 on a horizontal axis so as to lie co-planar with the floor and ceiling. In response to pressure applied to the upper edge which has now become a trailing end portion due to the change in position, the rollers 62 will travel transversely in the

guides

26 and 28 allowing the entire structure to be shifted to a new location. By simply pivoting the wall partition into an upright position at the new location, the sealing

members

84 and 86 will abut respec- 4 tively against the ceiling and floor of the room and the wing portions may be extended as continuations of the central portion 68 and frictional stop means 94 which are adjacent to the lower edges of the wing portions depressed so as to contact the floor member and prevent further movement of the wall partition 10.

It will be evident that utilizing this type of a structure, lighting fixtures which are downwardly dependent from the ceiling, radiators which extend inwardly from the side walls, integral bookshelves and furniture which would normally be an obstacle in the path of an upright moving partition can be easily and simply avoided during the shifting operation. Similarly, a large variety of materials which have soundproof characteristics may be used in the construction of the movable wall partition which would not be possible with heretofore known panels because of their bulkiness or excessive weight. Decorative paneling which would be normally subject to abuse in the assembly and disassembly of panels may be utilized and fixtures such as blackboards which are attached to the surface of the partition may remain in place during the shifting operation.

Since other obvious modifications may be made in the device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A movable partition comprising: a panel; and means for suspending said panel comprising: a laterally extending pivot member secured to said panel; vertically extending support members, and transversely extending laterally spaced channels positioned in a ceiling with the upper ends of the vertically extending support members normally disposed to and slidably received within said channels and with the free ends of said pivot member secured to the lower ends of said support members whereby said panel is rotatable about said pivot member along a horizontal axis through an arc of substantially to lie coplanar with the floor and ceiling and be shifted transversely.

2. A movable partition comprising: a panel having a middle portion and side portions hingedly connected to said middle portion; and means for suspending said panel comprising: a laterally extending pivot member secured to said middle portion of said panel; vertically extending support members, and transversely extending laterally spaced channels positioned in a ceiling with the upper ends of the vertically extending support members normally disposed to and slidably received within said channels and with the free ends of said pivot member secured to the lower ends of said support members whereby said panel is rotatable about said pivot member along a horizontal axis through an arc of substantially 90 to lie co-planar with the floor and ceiling and be shifted transversely.

3. A movable partition adapted for vertical positioning between .the floor and ceiling of a room comprising: a panel having a middle portion and side portions hingedly connected to said middle portion; resilient sealing means secured to the peripheral edges of said panel adapted for abutting relation with the interior surfaces of a room; and means for suspending said panel comprising: a laterally extending pivot member secured to said middlle portion of said panel; vertically extending support members, and transversely extending laterally spaced channels positioned in a ceiling with the upper ends of the vertically extending support members normally disposed to and slidably received within said channels and with the free ends of said pivot member secured to the lower ends of said support members whereby said panel is rotatable about said pivot member along a horizontal axis through an arc of substantially 90 to lie coplanar with the floor and ceiling and be shifted transversely.

4. A movable partition as set forth in claim 3 wherein said side portions have means for interlocking engagement with the middle portion of said panel.

5. A movable partition as set forth in claim 4 wherein said side portions have downwardly depending positioning ins for interlocking engagement with corresponding receptacles on the floor to prevent transverse movement of said panel.

6. A movable partition adapted for vertical positioning between the floor and ceiling of a room comprising: a panel having side portions hingedly connected to a middle portion, said middle portion being of less width than the distance between the side walls of a room; and means for suspending said panel comprising: a pivot member extending laterally through said middle portion of said panel; vertically extending T-bar support members; and transversely extending laterally spaced channels positioned in a ceiling with the upper ends of the T-bar members normally disposed to and slidably received within said channels and with the free ends of said pivot member journalled in the lower ends of the T-bar members whereby the panel is rotatable about said pivot member along a horizontal axis to provide a clearance between the floor and ceiling so that said panel may be shifted transversely within the room.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,353,502 Weismantel Sept 21, 1920 2,863,181 flesephson Dec. 9, 1958 2,941,794 Geddes June 21, 1960' FOREIGN PATENTS 89,940 Austria 1922 1,055,464 France 1953

Claims

1. A MOVABLE PARTITION COMPRISING: A PANEL; AND MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SAID PANEL COMPRISING: A LATERALLY EXTENDING PIVOT MEMBER SECURED TO SAID PANEL; VERTICAL EXTENDING SUPPORT MEMBERS, AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING LATERALLY SPACED CHANNELS POSITIONED IN A CEILING WITH THE UPPER ENDS OF THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING SUPPORT MEMBERS NORMALLY DISPOSED TO AND SLIDABLY RECEIVED WITHIN