WO2001043600A1

WO2001043600A1 - Improved panel system

Info

Publication number: WO2001043600A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/004783
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Sims
Original assignee: Kanvas Design Limited
Priority date: 1999-12-17
Filing date: 2000-12-13
Publication date: 2001-06-21
Also published as: GB0213997D0; GB9929968D0; GB2374358A; AU1872701A

Abstract

A sub-assembly for use as a rail or frame element in a room-divider or panel system comprises a rail member (30) having a recess (32) formed therein. The recess (32) is of a shape such that it is engageable with a hook member (10) of a first kind to secure an object carried by the hook member (10) to the rail member (30). An insert member (40) locatable in the recess (32) of the rail member (30) changes the cross-sectional shape of the recess in the rail member (30) such that it is engageable with a hook member (20, 60) of a second kind to secure an object carried by that hook member to the rail member.

Description

IMPROVED PANEL SYSTEM

The present invention relates to an improved screen or room divider system and, m particular, to an improved rail or frame member for use in such a system.

Over recent years it has become increasingly common for office space to be provided in the form of an open-plan area divided into work spaces for individuals or groups of individuals by means of screen or room divider systems. The screen or room divider systems may be secured so that once in place they are permanent but, more frequently, such systems are intended to oe easily demountable and, as a result, capable of greater flexibility m the way they are used.

Most screen or room divider systems consist, essentially, of a supporting framework into which are fitted panels of various kinds and sizes to build up a room divider of the required characteristics. The panels may, for example, be of some rigid material or, perhaps, padded and upholstered or of material which provides sound insulation. They may be opaque or transparent or a combination thereof. A screen may be made up from panels which are all similar or from a mixture of panels with different finishes and characteristics as are appropriate to the particular needs of the area in which the divider is to be used.

In addition to serving to support the panels which make up the room divider, the supporting framework may also serve to support accessories of various kinds, for example, shelves, pockets, light fittings, noticeboards or other useful items in a domestic or office setting. It is, of course, desirable that the means used for securing accessories to the room divider should be simple and permit accessories to be removed and repositioned at will. Consequently, in existing systems, such accessories are usually secured to the room divider simply by hooking the accessory in question onto the horizontal rails of the supporting frameworκ. When the user wants to reposition an accessory it can simply be unhooked from one rail and hooked onto another or, alternatively, where the rails are of uniform cross-section, an accessory can easily be slid along the rail.

There are in existence several such systems each of which has associated with it a range of accessories. Each range of accessories is provided with some form of hooking element which allows it to be secured to a horizontal rail of the room divider system with which it is to be used. However, the rails utilised in each of three of the most widely-used systems differ and the hooking elements of each range of accessories will only engage with the rail of the associated panel system; the hooking elements are incompatible with the rails used in the other available systems. This, of course, limits the range of accessories which are available once a user has selected a particular room divider system for use in a particular area.

It would, of course, oe desirable to provide a system in which it was possible to use accessories from any of the existing ranges with a single room divider system. However, past attempts to design such a system have been unsuccessful .

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a sub- assembly for use as a rail or frame element in a room- divider or panel system, the sub-assembly comprising a rail member having a recess formed therein, the recess being of a shape sucn that it is engageable with a hook member of a first kind to secure an object carried by the hook member to the ra l member; and an insert member locatable m the recess of the rail memoer to change the cross-sectional shape of the recess in the rail member such that it is engageable with a hook member of a second kind to secure an ob ect carried by that hook member to the rail rn.emr.er.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a first mterengageable hooking system used in prior art room divider systems;

Figure 2 shows a second mterengageable hooking system used in prior art room divider systems;

Figure 3 shows the rail of the invention; and

Figures 4(a), (b) and (c) show the rail system of Figure 3 used with the three different hook members of panel systems currently available.

As outlined above, many room divider systems currently available consist of a framework, generally of perpendicular horizontal and vertical members into which panels of various kinds can be fitted to form a screen or room divider of the required size. The horizontal frame members may, as described above, also be of such configuration that accessories of various kinds can be hooked onto them so that the accessory, for example a shelf or pocket, is supported thereafter by the room divider.

In the systems available at present, the accessories utilise two very different hooking systems, as snown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively. As shown in Figure 1, the uppermost edge of each accessory is provided with a downwardly extending hook 10. The hook 10 may, for example, be formed by moulding, where the accessory is of plastics material, or by folding, where the accessory is of sheet metal. The hook 10 may be continuous along the entire upper, rear edge of the accessory or separate hook members may be formed at intervals along that edge.

The downwardly extending free edge of the hook 10 or hook members engages, in use, in an upwardly directed channel

12 formed in a horizontal frame member 14 which forms part of the supporting framework of the room divider system so that the rear wall of the accessory rests against the panels of the room divider system.

Figure 2 shows one of two similar alternative hooking systems also in use. In this system the hook member 20 extends upwardly from the upper rear edge of the accessory, in the form of a curved, upwardly extending flange formed by casting or moulding at the edge of the rear wall of the accessory. The hook member 20 locates in an upwardly extending recess 22 of curved cross-section and is held in place by the wedging effect produced under gravity. The weight of the accessory tends to rotate the hook member 20 in a generally clockwise direction (as shown in Figure 2) so that the free edge of the hook member 20 jams against a rearwardly directed internal face 24 of the recess 22 while the underneath surface of the hook member 20 contacts the lower edge of the recess at the end of the hook member 20 remote from its free edge.

It will be appreciated that it is not possible to secure an accessory to a rail intended for a hook member of the other kind; the downwardly directed hook cannot be used with a rail with an upwardly curved recess, nor can the upwardly curved hook member be used with a rail intended for a down turned hook edge of the kind shown in Figure 1. Further, accessories provided with an upwardly curved hook member intended to co-operate with a rail from one of the two similar systems available at present are not compatible with the rails of the other such system because the curved hook members and the recesses in which they engage are of different dimensions and differing curvatures .

The sub-assembly of the invention overcomes this inconvenience.

The sub-assembly comprises a base rail, shown in Figure 3, which may optionally be used with one of two rail inserts so that the resultant assembly can accommodate hook members of any of the three types referred to above.

The base rail 30 is provided with a longitudinally extending recess 32 which is of a cross-sectional shape such that it has both an upwardly extending portion and a downwardly extending portion. At its uppermost part, the recess is of a size and shape to accommodate the upper free edge of the longer kind of upwardly curved hook member. In particular, the uppermost part of the recess is provided with a rearwardly facing bearing surface 34 against which the free edge of the curved hook member bears when the hook member is m place. Between the bearing surface 34 and the opening into the recess, the

^Λceιlιng' of the recess is curved to form a second bearing surface 36 positioned so as to engage the free edge of a curved hook member of the second, shorter kind.

The lowermost part of the recess 32 extends downwardly from the forward opening of the recess and is defined in part by an upstanding front wall 38 which has at its free edge an inwardly turned lip 37. In its simplest form, the rail 30 can accommodate accessories having the downwardly directed hook member described above. The hook member 10 is inserted into the recess 32 through the front opening and then locates behind the front wall 38 to hold the accessory in place.

However, the rail system of the invention also comprises at least one insert member 40 or 50 which can be positioned in the recess of the base rail 30 so as to change the cross-section of the recess 32 defined by the rail and insert together.

As can be seen from Figure 4 (b) the insert 40 or 50 is shaped to fit into the lowermost part of the recess 32 in the rail 30, behind the front wall 38. The most important characteristic of the insert member 40 or 50 is that it is formed with an upwardly curved bearing surface 42 or 52 which, together with the bearing surface or surfaces 34, 36 on the ceiling of the recess 32 forms an upwardly directed curved groove suitable for co-operation with an upwardly directed hook member 20 of the kind described above in connection with Figure 2. The insert member 40 or 50 is shaped to be a close fit in the lower part of the recess so that it forms a stable bearing surface 42 or 52 on which the hook member 20 of the accessory can act without dislodging the insert. In particular, the insert member 40 or 50 has a rear surface 44 or 54 which abuts the rearmost wall of the recess 32 formed in the rail 30 so as to prevent pivoting movement of the insert member 40 or 50 when the accessory is hooked onto the combined rail/insert member assembly.

By choosing the shape of the curved bearing surface 42 or 52, the base rail 30 can accommodate upwardly directed hook members 20 or 60 of differing shapes as can be seen from Figure 4(c) which shows the rail in use with an insert member 50 of a different shape, suitable for engagement with a hook member 60 of the second, shorter kind referred to above.

Although the rails assembly described above is intended to accommodate accessories of a particular kind, it will be understood that it can also accommodate accessories designed specifically to be mounted on the rail. Such accessories might include, for example, a nut insert capable of receiving a screw threaded fixing which would simply slide into the recess 32 formed in the base rail 30 from one of its ends. Similarly, the rail 30 could support low voltage spot lights mounted in plastic inserts slid into the rail recess or a variety of other accessories provided with suitable shaped sliding mounts.

The rail 30 and insert members 40 and 50 can be made of any material which can be formed into lengths by moulding or extrusion. Extruded aluminium has been found to be particularly suitable since it is also light and relatively rigid. It will be appreciated that customers may be supplied with the rails and inserts separately and that where systems are to be modified, one kind of insert may simply be lifted out of the rail and another substituted for it.

The invention thus provides a rail assembly for a room divider or panel system which can accommodate accessories having hooking arrangements of different kinds.

Although the rail assembly has been described in the context of a panel system, it will be appreciated that the rail might equally be provided with a flat back and means for securing to a wall or other flat surface.

Claims

1. A rail sub-assembly, the sub-assembly comprising a rail member having a recess formed therein, the recess being of a shape such that it is engageable with a hook member of a first kind to secure an object carried by the hook member to the rail member; and an insert member locatable m the recess of the rail member to change the cross-sectional shape of the recess in the rail member such that it is engageable with a hook member of a second kind to secure an object carried by that hook member to the rail member.

2. A sub-assembly according to claim 1 wherein the recess in the rail member has a lower portion shaped to be engageable by a downwardly directed hook member; and wherein the insert member is of a shape to locate within the lower portion of the said recess so that the rail member and insert member together define an upwardly directed recess engageable with an upwardly directed hook member.

3. A sub-assembly according to claim 1 or 2 wherein at least one of the rail member and insert member is formed of extruded aluminium.

4. A sub-assembly according to any preceding claim for use as a rail or frame element in a room-divider or panel system.

5. A sub-assembly for use as a rail or frame element in a room-divider or panel system, the sub-assembly being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.