Patent ID: 7543412
Filing Date: 2009-06-09
Classification: E04B,E04C,E06B

Abstract:
1. An interior upright floor-to-ceiling wall arrangement, comprising: at least first and second upright wall panels for supportive disposition on a floor and having a height which extends substantially to a ceiling and a width which extends horizontally in a widthwise direction, said first and second panels being positioned in adjacent and upright relationship so that the first and second panels are horizontally aligned in said widthwise direction thereof; said first and second panels having respective first and second elongate upright edge rails disposed in closely adjacent but opposed relationship, said edge rails defining thereon edge faces of said panels which face outwardly and are in adjacent but opposed facing relationship; a plurality of vertically spaced connector assemblies positioned horizontally between and fixedly but releasably engaged with said first and second edge rails for fixedly connecting said first and second panels together so as to be horizontally aligned in said widthwise direction; each of said first and second edge rails having a pair of parallel elongate grooves disposed in sidewardly spaced relation and extending vertically along said rails and having a mouth opening outwardly of the respective edge face in said widthwise direction, the mouth of one of said grooves on said first edge rail being disposed horizontally opposite and substantially aligned with the mouth of one of the grooves on said second edge rail; the pair of grooves of each said edge rail, as the grooves open inwardly from the respective edge face, defining a pair of oppositely sidewardly facing wedge faces which extend inwardly in angled relationship to one another; said connector assembly including a connector member positioned between the horizontally opposed edge faces of said first and second panels and elongated horizontally in a thickness direction of the panels; said connector assembly including a pair of transversely enlarged gripping members carried on said connector member in spaced relationship therealong, said gripping members being joined to said connector member by oppositely-handed threaded connections so that rotation of said connector member about its elongate axis causes the pair of gripping members to both move longitudinally in opposite directions relative to said connector member; each said gripping member having a pair of monolithic wedge plates cantilevered outwardly from opposite sides thereof and defining thereon a pair of wedge surfaces which are in angled relationship to one another and engage said wedge faces defined on said grooves; said connector member having a tool-engaging part defined at one end thereof for engagement with a tool insertable between the opposed edge faces for effecting rotation of the connector member; whereby the connector assembly is positioned between the opposed edge faces of the first and second edge rails so that the wedge plates project into the pairs of opposed grooves, and rotation of the connector member causes the wedge plate to move lengthwise along said thickness direction in opposite distal directions relative to the connector member along said thickness direction so that the wedge surfaces engage the wedge faces and simultaneously cause the first and second panels to be aligned as they are drawn together in the widthwise direction.