Patent ID: 6058656
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: E05D,E05Y,Y10T

Abstract:
A movable partition system, said system comprising:a guide rail;said guide rail comprising an upper portion disposed toward a ceiling structure and a lower portion disposed away from said ceiling structure;a drive gear arrangement;said drive gear arrangement being configured to run one of:on said guide rail; andin said guide rail;a partition element;said drive gear arrangement comprising:a structure to hang said partition element from said drive gear arrangement;a carrying roller to operatively support the weight of said partition element;said carrying roller having an axle about which said carrying roller rotates;said carrying roller having a running surface to contact said lower portion of said guide rail;guiding rollers;each of said guiding rollers being configured and disposed to roll along said upper portion of said guide rail and to guide said carrying roller along the path of said guide rail;each of said guiding rollers having a corresponding axle about which each of said guiding rollers rotates, said axle being disposed substantially transverse to said axle of said carrying roller;each of said guiding rollers having a contact surface disposed around the circular circumference of each of said guiding rollers, which contact surface being disposed to contact said upper portion of said guide rail;each of said guiding rollers having a first side surface being disposed on a side of each of said guiding rollers and being configured to radially extend from the central axis to said contact surface of each of said guiding rollers;at least one of said guiding rollers being disposed on a first side of said carrying roller in the path of movement of said carrying roller along said guide rail;at least one of said guiding rollers being disposed on a second side of said carrying roller opposite said first side in the path of movement of said carrying roller along said guide rail; andsaid first side surface of each of said at least one guiding rollers disposed on said first side and said second side of said carrying roller comprising a truncated conical surface, said truncated conical surface being configured and disposed to permit at least a portion of said truncated conical surface to lie substantially on a tangent to said running surface of said carrying roller.