Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Portable
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-02
2001-10-30
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Portable
C160S229100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308763
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a mobile dividing wall comprising at least two wall elements which, for their variable angular joining with one another on the contact sides, have convex edge profiles which at least in sections are co-ordinated with each other and covered with VELCRO-like material.
A registered trade-mark of Velcro Industries B.V. for a burr-like fastening tape.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a mobile dividing wall is, for example, known from the French Patent Application 2,570,408. Also the Unexamined German Patent Application 4,207,644 discloses such a mobile dividing wall to be used in particular for the subdivision of large rooms.
Known mobile dividing walls of the generic type can be installed quickly, because when two wall elements are assembled, there is, between the VELCRO-like material of the two wall elements, a durable connection which eliminates a displacement with regard to one another of the two joined wall elements. The VELCRO-like material in connection with the convex edge profiles allows, by rolling off the edge profiles on one another, a smooth change of the angular position of the two wall elements relative to each other without the wall elements having to be separated from one another. This possibility of particularly quick installation with at the same time great flexibility with regard to the arrangement is also the reason for the widespread distribution of generic dividing walls. The quick and firm adherence of the VELCRO-like material of the edge profiles facing each other of two wall elements to be joined together also has a significant disadvantage because a later adjustment of the position of the wall elements relative to one another to correct a misalignment in height, side or angle is not possible due to the strong adhesion of the VELCRO-like material in the case of joined wall elements. The installation of a dividing wall of wall elements aligned exactly to one another requires several attempts to join two wall elements which is time consuming and troublesome. Thus, in practice, it happens that with installed mobile dividing walls of the type mentioned herein, the individual wall elements show a slight misalignment (height, parallelism, lateral misalignment) with one another which, to eliminate, would require reinstallation of the dividing wall.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a mobile dividing wall which can be installed quickly and without any problem and in the case of which the individual wall elements are adjusted to each other largely without unwanted misalignment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, the wall elements have positioning elements coordinated to one another which at least in a certain angular position of the wall elements interlock with each other by a protrusion of the one positioning element entering a recess of the other positioning element. The protrusion of the one and the recess of the other positioning element are dimensioned in such a way that when the wall elements are assembled, the respective protrusion enters the recess before the coordinated VELCRO-like materials of the two wall elements come into contact. By means of positioning elements provided on the wall elements to be connected with each other, it is thus ensured that a connection is only established between the coordinated, VELCRO-like materials when the two wall elements are aligned with one another in the way determined by the positioning elements. The invention results in a position of the wall elements to be joined with one another which shows no undesired misalignment. A subsequent swiveling of the wall elements relative to one another, rolling off the edge profiles on each other, is certainly not obstructed here by the positioning elements.
Depending on the requirements of the respective mobile dividing wall, the invention can be realized in a variety of different embodiments. A first preferred further embodiment of the dividing wall according to the invention is characterized in that for the vertical alignment of the two wall elements relative to one another, the protrusion of the one positioning element is designed as a rib extending in a horizontal plane. The recess of the other positioning element forms a groove extending in a horizontal plane. This ensures an exact vertical positioning of the two wall elements to be connected with one another. For this purpose, one single positioning element per wall element is sufficient. If two such positioning elements are provided per wall element, preferably in the area of the upper and the lower edge, it also ensures that the axes of the two wall elements are parallel when the ribs and grooves are appropriately dimensioned. On the other hand, such an embodiment of the positioning elements allows a lateral misalignment of the wall elements with respect to one another. In cases where a lateral offset of the wall elements to be joined together is desired or even required, this embodiment of the invention is therefore suitably used. The rib and the corresponding groove extend each in the direction of the periphery over a considerable area of the corresponding positioning element which becomes clear from the other embodiments.
The vertical positioning and securing of the wall elements to be connected together not only works out advantageously in the first-time joining of two wall elements. It prevents, moreover, the (vertical) “traveling” of two joined together wall elements with regard to one another, which occasionally can be observed in the case of conventional, generic mobile dividing walls with repeated changes of the angular position of the wall elements with respect to one another. With such a mobile dividing wall designed according to the invention, any frequent change of the angular position of the wall elements with respect to one another, rolling off the convex edge profiles coated with VELCRO-like material on each other, does not result in a vertical misalignment of the wall elements relative to one another.
If a connection of the wall elements free of vertical misalignment is required in addition to the vertical alignment/securing of position, the positioning elements also suitably have additional pins and recesses corresponding to each other in which case at least one angular position of the wall elements relative to one another, one pin each of the one positioning element engages each recess of the other positioning element. This ensures an arrangement of the connected wall elements with regard to one another which is absolutely without misalignment in every respect.
The same effect is obtained when a series of spikes are provided on the one positioning element while the other positioning element has a series of holes in which case the pins and the holes interlock.
Within the scope of the present invention, the above elucidated vertical positioning of the wall elements with respect to one another (in particular by means of the interlocking ribs and grooves described above) can be dropped if required and a positioning with regard to parallel axes can be provided without lateral misalignment. Thus, a feature of another preferred embodiment of the mobile dividing wall according to the invention is that the two positioning elements have toothed rims corresponding to one another, of which the teeth mesh. The depth of the teeth of the two toothed rims is here determined in such a way that the teeth mesh before the two VELCRO-like materials come into contact with one another. This ensures an axially parallel alignment of the two joined together wall elements.
For the positioning of the two wall elements relative to one another which is axially parallel and free of lateral misalignment, a further embodiment of the invention is suitable in which the protrusion of the one positioning element is designed as pin and the hole in the other positioning element as a recess so that in certain angular positions of the wall elements relative to one another, the pin of the one positioning element enters the recess of the ot
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
Preform Raumgliederungssysteme GmbH
Purol David M.
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