Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Wall – ceiling – or floor designed for utilities – Partition type
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-17
2001-06-12
Safavi, Michael (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Wall, ceiling, or floor designed for utilities
Partition type
C052S239000, C052S282100, C052S586200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244002
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a modular panel system and more particularly, relates to a modular panel system used for forming dividers or the like for an office or other application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Office systems often use dividers, walls, and furniture to divide an open space to be used for work stations or other requirements.
Although wall panel systems are utilized in many modern offices, an increasingly prevalent problem is that of adequate cable management. Thus, practically every employee in a modern office requires a high degree of electrical, data and communications services for printers, fax machines, LAN's, telephones, intercoms, etc. The nature of any particular service can change rapidly and with the evolution of modern information technology equipment, a frequent change and/or addition to the equipment is required. All this equipment requires wiring or cabling and the amount of cabling can quite rapidly lead to confusion and cluttered arrangements.
In order to meet the above, there have been proposed a multitude of different types of assemblies and concepts. In prior art systems, some modular panels offer a cable raceway at the base of the panels and which must be shared by electrical, telephone and data cabling. It is also known to offer cable raceways at a surface height and intermediate thereof. Generally, the cable raceways in these systems are designed within the structure of the panels so that they are difficult to remove and relocate. This means that a system installed at a certain point in time must continue with the same concept if the office is to match esthetically. It becomes difficult to rearrange since the cable raceways are not modular and removable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a modular panel system which includes one or more cable raceways which can be installed between two panels, either at the base or on the top thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular panel system wherein the panels provide horizontal modular cable raceways and also provide means for interconnecting the panels, the interconnection means also providing cable raceways for passage of the cables.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a modular panel system comprising a panel, the panel having first and second opposed major faces, a frame comprised of a top wall, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, connecting means located on at least one of the side walls for interconnecting the side wall to an adjacent side wall of an adjacent panel, the connecting means comprising a vertically extending member secured to the side wall, an elongated flexible interconnecting member having first and second longitudinally extending side marginal edges, each of the side marginal edges having means for attachment to the vertically extending member, and a cable raceway extending horizontally along at least one of the top and bottom walls, the cable raceway being secured to at least one of the top and bottom walls.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a modular panel system comprising a plurality of panels, each panel having first and second opposed major faces, a frame comprised of a top wall, a bottom wall and first and second side walls, a first one of the panels being located adjacent to a second one of the panels such that a first side wall of the first panel is adjacent to a second side wall of the second panel, connecting means located on the first side wall of the first panel and on the second side wall of the second panel, the connecting means comprising a vertically extending member secured to each of the first side wall of the first panel and the second side wall of the second panel, an elongated flexible interconnecting member having first and second longitudinally extending side marginal edges, each of the side marginal edges having an enlarged edge portion, each of the vertically extending members having a groove located therein designed to receive the enlarged edge portion of the elongated flexible interconnecting member, and a cable raceway extending horizontally along at least one of the top and bottom walls of at least one of the first and second panels.
In greater detail, the modular panel system of the present invention can be used to design various layouts of floor panels. Any one panel can be connected to another panel at any desired angle by means of the flexible interconnecting member while conventional arrangements using angles of 90° and 120° are readily achieved.
The modular panel system of the present invention permits for the use of wiring in both horizontal and vertical directions and provides easy access to the same such that any required changes can be simply and easily made without substantial changes to the arrangement of the modular panels. Still further, the system permits one to reorient the panels at any desired time.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4120124 (1978-10-01), Temple et al.
Fincham Eric
Safavi Michael
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