US2159296A - Top member for self-contained wall structures - Google Patents

Description

May 23, 1939. l G SHARP 2,159,296

TOP MEMBER FOR SELF-CONTAINED WALL STRUCTURES Filed May 24, 1937 Patented May 23, 1939 v ili'l'rl STATES PATENT OFFICE T01 MEMBER FOR SELF-CONTAINED WALL STRUCTURES George G. Sharp, Wyoming, Millburn Township, Essex County, N. J.

Application May 14, 1937, Serial No. 142,695

5 Claims. (Cl. 189*34) This invention relates to partition structures, Another object of the invention is to provide and has particular reference to improvements in novel means for the purposes stated which means partition structures of the general type described is simple, inexpensive, entirely practical and and claimed in my prior application, Serial No. thoroughly reliable and efiicient in use.

5 6,337, filed February 13, 1935. With the foregoing and various other objects A partition structure of the general type rein view, which will become more fully apparent ferred to is characterized by a top channel memas the nature of the invention is better underber fastened to a ceiling or its equivalent, a botstood, the same consists in the novel combination tom channel member fastened to a floor or its and arrangement of parts, and in the novel fea- 9 equivalent, channeled posts disposed vertically at tures of construction, as will be hereinafter more spaced intervals between said top and bottom fully described, illustrated in the accompanying 10 members, and panels engaged at their tops and drawing and defined in the appended claims. bottoms in the channels of said top and bottom In the accompanying drawing, wherein like members and at their side edges in the channels characters of reference denote corresponding of said posts. In erecting such a partition strucparts in the different views: 5 ture the top and the bottom channel members Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken first are fastened to the ceiling and the floor, or away, of a portion of a partition structure emtheir equivalents, respectively, and the panels bodying the features of the present invention; then are slid edgewise into engagement with the Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

channels of said members, the posts being inter- Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the present 20 posed between adjacent edges of adjacent panels bridge elements; and as the latter are slid into place. In this Way the Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a fragment of one panel structure is erected without the use of of the present posts. fasteners, other than the fasteners which are Referring to the drawing in detail, A and B employed for securing the top and the bottom designate, respectively, a ceiling and a floor as members, and yet, in the assembly, the panels are their equivalents, and I0 and H designate, reinterlocked both with the top and the bottom spectively, top and bottom channel members semembers and with the posts and the latter serve cured in any suitable manner to said ceiling and both as side edge supports for the panels and as floor, or their equivalents, respectively.

neat and attractive joint forming members be- The top and bottom channel members l0 and 30 tween adjacent edges of adjacent panels. How- II are of inverted U-shape and of U-shape in ever, when it is necessary to slide the panels cross section, respectively, and are vertically edgewise into engagement with the top and the alined and each includes a pair of spaced side bottom members difficulties frequently arise, due walls I2, l2. They extend, or it is desirable that usually to lack of space in which to accommodate they shall extend, from end to end of the partithe panels beyond the ends of the top and the tion structure, regardless of its length. bottom members preliminary to effecting their The members ill and H comprise top and botengagement with said top and bottom members. tom supports for partition forming panels I3, Moreover, it is quite desirable for various reasons of which there may be any desired number of any to have the panels selectively engageable with desired width. 4:0 and ciisengageable from the top and the bottom The lower edge portions of the panels !3 may be members without requiring that any other panel disposed directly in the channel of the bottom first be engaged with or disengaged from said channel member I l as shown, or they may be inmembers. directly mounted in the channel of said bottom 5 Acc y, the general Object 0f he present member through the instrumentality of an interinvention is to provide, in a partition structure posed l t or l t n t Shown I any of the general type referred to, novel means event, the channel of the bottom channel memwhereby any panel of a series of panels may ber obviously may be equal in width or of greater readily Eli-1d easily be operatively assembled With or lesser width than the thickness of the panels the top and bottom channel members without I 3, depending upon whether the lower edge por- 50 requiring that any other panel first be assembled tions of the panels are directly or indirectly with said members, and whereby any panel of an mounted in said bottom channel member. On assembled series may readily and easily be rethe other hand, the top channel member ID prefmoved without disturbing any other panel of the erably is of greater width than the thickness of 5 assembled series. the panels 13 by an amount to permit the assembly with said channel member of bridge elements l4 having downwardly opening channels [5 of a width to accommodate the upper edge portions of the panels I3.

Each bridge element I 4 preferably is formed from sheet metal and comprises spaced side walls l6, l6 connected together at their tops by webs II, or, if desired, by a continuous top wall, and at their bottoms by webs IE, or, if desired, by a continuous bottom wall. The spacing of the side walls l6, I6 is such that the bridge element may be engaged neatly between the sidewalls l2, 12 of the top channel member ID forsliding movement both vertically and longitudinally relative to said top channel member and, as shown, the bottom webs [8, or the continuous bottom wall of said bridge element, as the case may be, are, or is, formed with the downwardly opening channel I 5 to accommodate the upper edge portions of the panels. l3. V

One of the bridge elements i4 is employed at the tops of each two adjacent panels I3 to accommodate in its channel l5 the top edge portions of both panels adjacent to the side edges thereof. To. this end the bridge members may be of any desired length to accommodate top edge portions of the panels of any desired length, and since said bridge elements are slidable longitudinally relative to the top channel member It) it is apparent that they may be properly positioned relative to said top member If! to accommodate the upper edge portions of adjacent panels regardless of where the adjacent side edges of adjacent panels are disposed longitudinally relative to-the top member ill. In other words, the bridge members l4 may be used'with panels of relatively great width, or relatively narrow width, or with panels of various different widths in any given partition structure.

In erecting a partition according to the present invention and assuming that the top and bottom channel members I!) and l l have been fastened in place in accordance with known practice, the lower edge portion of a panel [3 is engaged either directly or indirectly with the channel of the bottom channel member H and the upper edge portion of the panel is brought into alinement with the top channel member 10, the height of the panel being such, of course, that its top does not reach to the bottoms of the bridge elements I4 when the latter are in their uppermost positions relative to the top channel member. The said bridge elements, having previously been slid upwardly relative to the top channel member to permit the upper edge of the panel to be moved to underlie the same, then are slid downwardly to cause the upper edge portion of the panel to be received in 'the channels l5. Thereby, the panel becomes effectively held, both at its top as well as at its bottom, against forward or backward movement relative to the top and bottom members H! and Il, and when a complete series of panels has been erected in this manner between a pair of end walls or the like, it is apparagainst shifting in their planes longitudinally relative to the top and the bottom channel members. Also, it is apparent that any panel of a series may be erected without any necessity of horizontal edgewise movement thereof and regardless of the erection of any other panel, and that any panel of a series may be removed without disturbing any other panel of the series.

Preferably, but not necessarily, a post I9 is employed between the adjacent edges of each two adjacent panels I3. Said posts are of double channel form or, in other Words, are of H-shape in cross section to accommodate the adjacent vertical edge portions of the panels, and, if used, they serve not only to support the adjacent vertical edge portions of the panels against forward or backward movement relative to each other, but to cover the vertical edges of the panels and provide neat and attractive joints between adjacent panels. In this connection, Where different partition structures meet at right angles or in other angular relationship to each other, posts of L-shape or other suitable shape obviously may be employed in accordance with the teaching of my aforesaid prior application.

It is desirable to provide means to retain the bridge members M temporarily in their upper positions relative to the top channel member III to facilitate erection of a partition, and while any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, one simple, practical means for the purpose comprises resilient tongues 20 struck outwardly from the side walls lfi, l6 ofsaid bridge members to frictionally engage the outer faces of the side walls l2, [2 of the channel member ill.

' The channel member ii] serves conveniently as a housing for electric wires or the like designated asZl, and in order to provide supports for such wires or the like, tongues 22 may be struck inwardly from the side walls l6, E6 of the bridge elements l4.

Finishing plates 23 preferably are provided to cover the bridge elements I 4, the bottom portions of the top channel member [0 and the upper edge portions of the panels I3, and in accordance with the present invention the bridge elements I 4 preferably are formed to support said plates in a manner such that they may readily and easily be snapped into place and may equally as readily and easily be removed whenever desired. The upper or freeedges of the spring tongues 22 are directed outwardly as indicated at 24 and lips 25 having downwardly facing convex surfaces are struck outwardly from the side walls It, I6 of the bridge elements near the bottoms thereof.

The finishing plates 23 have inwardly directed flanges at their tops terminating in downwardly directed lips 26 which are engageable behind the outwardly directed, upper, free edge portions 24 of the tongues 22, and at or near the bottoms of said finishing plates are other inwardly directed flanges terminating in upwardly facing lips 21 which are engageable beneath the lips 25. The finishing plates are resilient and the spacing of their lips 26, 21 is such that they are engageable by a snap action with the upper edge portions of the tongues 22 and the lips 25. Therefore, they may readily be applied and may equally as readily be removed. In addition to their finishing function they serve also as supports for ceiling panels designated as 28.

Obviously, one or more of the bridge elements l4 may be employed in addition to and intermeent that the panels are held by one another diate the two bridge elements at the side edges of structural forms within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A partition assembly, comprising aligned top and bottom channel members, a pair of adjacent panels disposed between said top and bottom members with their vertical edges in edge to edge relationship, the lower edge portions of said panels being received in the channel of the bottom member and the upper edge portions of said panels being spaced from the top member, and a channeled bridge element adjustablelongitudinally along the channel of the top member and along the upper edges of the panel pair and overlapping the adjacent vertical edges of the panel pair, said bridge element being slidable upwardly in said channel of the top member to a position wherein it will clear the upper edge portions of the panel pair and then downwardly to a position wherein its own channel will receive said upper edge portions, and assist to maintain the panels correctly positioned between said top and bottom members.

2. The assembly of claim 1, and a vertical post disposed between the vertical edges of said panel pair and terminating at its top below the top member, said post having continuous channels extending substantially from end to end thereof within which the vertical edge portions of the panels are received, and said post at its lower end engaging with the bottom member of the assembly.

3. A partition structure comprising a pair of adjacent panels disposed with their vertical edges in edge to edge relationship, a bottom supporting and holding means for said panels, a fixed downwardly opening channeled top member having side walls, and a bridge element disposed between the side walls of said top member and having a downwardly opening channel to receive a top edge portion of at least one of the panels, said bridge element being vertically movable relative to said top member to effect engagement and disengagement of the top edges of the panels with and from the channel in said bridge element, and having resilient tongues extending into engagement with the outer faces of the side walls of the top member to assist in frictionally holding the bridge element against movement relative to the top member.

4. A partition structure comprising a pair of adjacent panels disposed with their vertical edges in edge to edge relationship, a bottom supporting and holding means for said panels, a fixed downwardly opening channeled top member having s de walls, and a hollow bridge element disposed between the side walls of said top member and having side walls and a downwardly opening channel to receive a top edge portion of at least one of the panels, said bridge element being vertically movable relative to said top member to effect engagement and disengagement of the top edges of the panels with and from the channel in bridge element, the side walls of said bridge element having inwardly bent supporting tongues i or wires or the like.

5. A partition structure comprising a pair of adjacent panels disposed with their vertical edges in edge to edge relationship, a bottom supporting and holding means for said panels, a fixed downwardly opening channeled top member having side walls, a bridge element disposed between the side walls of said top member and having a downwardly opening channel to receive a top edge portion of at least one of the panels, said bridge element being vertically movable relative to said top member to effect engagement and disengagement of the top edges of the panels with and from the channel in said bridge element, finishing plates covering the sides of the top member, the sides or" the bridge element, and the upper edge portions of the panels, and cooperating snap fastener means on said finishing plates and said bridge element.

GEO. G. SHARP.

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