US3349528A - Portable partition with telescoping tube support - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 31, 1967 J. A. SALT 3,

PORTABLE PARTITION WITH TELESCOPING TUBE SUPPORT Filed June 17, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN A. SALT.

BY/QLWWW ATTORNEY J. A. SALT Oct. 31, 1967 PORTABLE PARTITION WITH TELESCOPING TUBE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1966 INVENTOR JOHN A. SALT J BY ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,349,528 PORTABLE PARTITION WITH TELESCOPING TUBE SUPPORT John A. Salt, 15450 SW. 67th Court, Miami, Fla. 33157 Filed June 17, 1966, Ser. N0. 558,314 10 Claims. (Cl. 524-239) This invention relates to a more particularly, to a portable partition adapted for use in auditoriums, art galleries, and offices.

As is perhaps well known, it is quite often a problem to partition an office or an art gallery satisfactorily and once partitioned it is often required that adjustments be made in the partitioning.

The present invention relates and has as an object the provision of a partition for large spaces which is adapted to be readily installed and which may be adjusted from time to time or removed in a relatively inexpensive operation.

Itis, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a portable partition for positioning between the floor and ceiling of a large area which comprises a frame, panels overlaying the frame, means carried by the frame to urge the partition against the floor and including means to engage the ceiling to steady the panel in a predetermined position.

It is a general object of this invention to' provide a portable partition structure which is simple in construe tion, inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be readily and rapidly installed and removed or altered as to position in a large room and into various sections and to provide wall space for the hanging of pictures thereon.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE '1 is a perspective view of an area having portable partitions adjusted between the floor and the ceiling;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the partitions with one of the overlaying panels removed to show the details of construction;

FIGURE 3 is a view, partly in cross section, and illustrating the'means to connect the partition between the floor and the ceiling;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top plan view of that portion of FIG. 2 seen at the upper left thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged elevation view looking at the lower medial portion of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 7 is a bottom perspective view to illustrate the lower portion of the instant invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, the numeral 12 generally designates a wall composed of panels such as 14, 1-6, 18 and 20, which are positioned in upstanding relation on a floor 22 in a wall-defining relation and connected in said relation by connecting means generally designated 24 which engage the ceiling 26 of the room in which installed.

The invention will be more clearly understood on reference to FIGURE 2 wherein it is seen that the frame comprises four framing members 28, 30, 32 and 34 which are preferably of the size referred to as one by four (1 x 4) pieces of wood in the trade. The framing members are joined together by suitable means, as indicated. The top rail 30 is provided with a hole centrally portable partition, and,

is adapted to divide it.

3,349,528 Patented Oct; 31, 1967 of its area as seen in plan and, in alignment therewith, a hole 42 is provided in a pillow block 44 which is mounted on the bottom rail 34. The hole is positioned so that it is in alignment with the aforesaid hole of top rail 30. A vertical reinforcing member 52 is provided as close to the center as is practicable but spaced slightly apart from the hole in the top rail 30 and the hole 42 in the pillow block 44. Lateral reinforcing members 54, 54', 56 and 56' may also be provided, it being noted that these members define a space therebetween, or a passthrough area between the outside panels 62 and 64 which overlay the frame is defined between the lateral members 54 and 56. This pass-through area is for the purpose of a telescoping tube system now to be described which serves for the purpose 'of connecting the panel partition in position between the roof and floor of a room. The telescoping tube system generally designated by the numeral 72 includes a lower tubular member 74 and an upper or inner tubular member 76 which tubes can be longitudinally extended relative to each other to adjust the length of the system and thereafter to be secured in locked engagement by means of the collar 78 having the wing nut tightening means 80. In assembly, the connecting means is fitted with the lower member 74 being passed through the frame so that the lower end 82 seats in the hole 42 with the collar 76 resting on the upperor exterior surface of the upper rail 30. The upper end of the upper tube is fitted with an extendible portion 84 and is preferably provided with a distalmost foot 86 to expand to and engage a ceiling while the inner end of the portion 84 engages a spring to keep it extended with respect to a transverse pin 79.

Means are provided to connect the various partitions thus assembled together, the said means comprising diagonally opposed recesses 92 and 94 in the exterior of the-rails and oppositely and diametrically opposed pin means 96 and 98 arranged and carried by members 100 and 102 which are in turn connected to the rails. The members 96 and 98 are receivable in mating sized recesses of joining panels when a wall is defined by the partitions.

It has been found that a wall of this type of construction is preferably sized in four by eight 4 X 8) partitions with the connecting means or tube system being extendible to engage a ceiling which is fifteen feet high. The spring pressure of the end of the telescopic tube system 72 on the top surface of the lower rail 34 causes it to hug the floor along its length and the lower end may be provided with a friction pad to resist movement of the partition on the'floor.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles. Particularly, it will be noted that the means to connect the partitions together comprising recessed finger members arranged in cantilever fashion over the vertical supports so as to extend outwardly of the face and having a distally carried vertical pin extending toward the opposing rail and arranged for receipt in registry with holes located a corresponding distance away from the face from an associated vertical member on the opposite end of a corresponding rail of a similar panel or unit permits the assembly of the unit in the fashion indicated in FIG. 1 particularly adapting a system composed of such units for use as removable partitions and of particular advantage in art galleries or the like.

What is claimed is:

1. For inclusion in a wall composed of a plurality of similar portable panels and adapted to register in sideby-side relation with one another, a wall panel for positioning between the fioor and the ceiling of a building structure comprising:

a planiform frame of a vertical height less than the distance between the floor and the ceiling and including spaced parallel upper and lower rails and spaced parallel vertical supports with said supports and rails being connected together and outer covering panels dimensioned to congruently overlay the main outer planes defined by the rails and supports, said frame defining a right parallelepipedal inner cavity;

a telescoping tube system vertically secured centrally in the cavity including an outer tube vertically spanning the distance between the upper and lower rails and an inner tube carried in the outer tube extendible with respect to the outer tube and frame beyond the upper rail, said tube system including means to lock the inner tube in a predetermined extended position with respect to the outer tube;

a foot on the distal extended end of the tube system to engage a ceiling;

means to connect the frame of the panel to a frame of a similar panel in a wall assembly comprising;

a connector finger member at one end of each of said rails and in diametrically opposed relation with respect to said frame, each said finger member being secured in cantilever relation with the respective associated rail of each finger and extending outwardly of the face of its associated adjacent vertical support;

each said finger member including a pin projecting vertically toward the opposing rail of the frame to that on which it is carried, and

each said rail having a recess accessible from the outer surface at the end opposite to that on which the finger is carried, and spaced inwardly 40 of the face of the vertical support of the frame immediately adjacent thereto a distance corresponding to the cantilever distance from the face of the other vertical support to the pin;

so that the panels may be placed in connected side-byside relation with the pins in one panel in registry and nested in the recesses of the other panel and with the holes of said one panel receiving the pins of an adjacent panel.

2. A wall of panels as set forth in claim 1 composed of a plurality of said panels interconnected by said connector means.

3. A wall panel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the finger of the lower rail is imbedded in a recess on the lower face with the surface of the finger member being flush with the lower face of the lower rail.

4. A wall panel as set forth in claim 3 wherein the 5 finger is secured to the rail by recess screws to present a flush lower panel surface to rest on a floor.

5. A wall panel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the lower face of the lower rail is provided with a pad of strip form to cushion the panel on the floor.

6. A wall panel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the telescoping tube system includes an extendible tubular portion with one end in the distal end of said inner tube and the foot on the outer end of the extendible tubular portion and includes spring means captivated in the distal end of the inner tube and yieldable on the application of compressive forces to the foot and transmitted to it through said extendible portion to retract into said inner tube storing energy in said spring to hold a wall panel in position with the foot resiliently pressing against a ceiling surface.

7. A wall panel as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tube system is secured medially of the cavity by means of a pillow block secured in the cavity to the lower rail and having a recess in the face thereof to secure the 25 lower end of the outer tube with the other end of the outer tube being snugly nestled in a through hole in the upper rail vertically above said recess.

8. A wall panel as set forth in claim 1 wherein reinforcing means are provided to span the panel.

9. A wall panel as set forth in claim 8 wherein the means include a vertical member which is offset with respect to the main vertical center line of the cavity and is adjacent the lower tube of the tubular system.

10. A wall of panels as set forth in claim 6 composed 35 of a plurality of said panels interconnected by said connector means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 215,348 5/1879 Gregg. 1,219,208 3/1917 Zahner et al. 52-238 1,285,728 11/1918 Kalla 52-238 2,114,388 4/1938 Killion 52-24 1 2,617,501 11/1952 Quelle 52-238 2,796,158 6/1957 Miles et al 52-275 X 2,855,037 10/1958 Stitfel 160-135 2,944,678 7/ 1960 Grantham 211-177 3,039,569 6/1962 Bohnsack 52-275 X 3,111,723 11/1963 Bates 52-239 X FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

C. G. MUELLER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. FOR INCLUSION IN A WALL COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SIMILAR PORTABLE PANELS AND ADAPTED TO REGISTER IN SIDEBY-SIDE RELATION WITH ONE ANOTHER, A WALL PANEL FOR POSITIONING BETWEEN THE FLOOR AND THE CEILING OF A BUILDING STRUCTURE COMPRISING: A PLANIFORM FRAME OF A VERTICAL HEIGHT LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FLOOR AND THE CEILING AND INCLUDING SPACED PARALLEL UPPER AND LOWER RAILS AND SPACED PARALLEL VERTICAL SUPPORTS WITH SAID SUPPORTS AND RAILS BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER AND OUTER COVERING PANELS DIMENSIONED TO CONGRUENTLY OVERLAY THE MAIN OUTER PLANES DEFINED BY THE RAILS AND SUPPORTS, SAID FRAME DEFINING A RIGHT PARALLELEPIPEDAL INNER CAVITY; A TELESCOPING TUBE SYSTEM VERTICALLY SECURED CENTRALLY IN THE CAVITY INCLUDING AN OUTER TUBE VERTICALLY SPANNING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER RAILS AND AN INNER TUBE CARRIED IN THE OUTER TUBE EXTENDIBLE WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER TUBE AND FRAME BEYOND THE UPPER RAIL, SAID TUBE SYSTEM INCLUDING MEANS TO LOCK THE INNER TUBE IN A PREDETERMINED EXTENDED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER TUBE; A FOOT ON THE DISTAL EXTENDED END OF THE TUBE SYSTEM TO ENGAGE A CEILING;

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