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RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/403,681, filed Aug. 15, 2002. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Partition systems are often employed to isolate portions of a building or room, by serving as a barrier to dust, noise, light, odors, and the like. In construction zones, partitions are useful for protecting a clean area from a work area, for example, protecting an area where furniture and rugs are temporarily stored from an area where wood floors are being refinished.  
           [0003]    Workers at construction sites often use rudimentary techniques for installing partitions. Some simply nail, screw, or staple the curtain or partition material to the floor, ceiling, and abutting walls, resulting in damage to their surfaces. Others tape, or otherwise adhere, a curtain or plastic sheet to the walls and ceilings. The tape usually fails to stick, but if it does stick, as the tape is removed, paint can pull off with the tape, or adhesive is left behind.  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,469, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a partition mount system that addresses these limitations. This system offers the advantage of accommodating standard extension poles, for example, painters poles, with standard threads, and is compatible with a variety of commercially-available curtain or drape materials, for example plastic, cloth, and the like. The disclosed system is a “clean” system designed to be installed and removed without damaging or otherwise marking the ceiling, floor or walls in the construction zone. Assembly is easy and fast and can be accomplished by a single individual. In certain applications however, a sag, or gap, may be present in the curtain between installed mounting jacks along a-ceiling, or between the ceiling and floor along a wall or door frame, compromising the effectiveness of the installation.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention is directed to a system that mitigates or eliminates sag, or gaps, between an installed curtain and an abutting surface such as a wall or ceiling. The system accomplishes this in a manner that avoids permanent damage to the wall or ceiling surface. A head is provided having an elongated body and a compressible curtain interface. An adjustable pole is configured to urge the head against the curtain and abutting surface. In one example, the pole is spring-loaded. In this manner, the curtain is made to conform to the abutting surface, and gaps are thereby mitigated or eliminated between mounting jacks, or between a mounting jack and another mounting point.  
           [0006]    In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a mounting system. The system comprises an elongated body having a longitudinal axis. A curtain interface, for example a pad, is coupled to an upper surface of the body. A coupler includes an interface for receiving a mounting member, the position of the coupler being adjustable relative to the longitudinal axis of the body.  
           [0007]    The pad may comprise any of a number of materials, for example, foam, polyurethane foam, extruded vinyl, rubber strips, and the like. The pad may be freely compressible, or non-compressible. A non-skid pad material is preferred to avoid slippage.  
           [0008]    The body may take the form of an extruded rail, for example including a U-shaped slot, wherein the pad is mounted in the slot. Any of a number of various forms of rail and pad are applicable.  
           [0009]    The coupler is preferably removably mountable to the body. The coupler may include, for example, quick-release arms that engage a feature on the body for removably mounting the coupler to the body. The position of the coupler relative to the body can be adjusted variably, or can be determined according to indexed positions on the body.  
           [0010]    The mounting member preferably comprises a mounting pole, in which case, the coupler includes a socket for receiving a ball joint of a mounting pole. The body is for example rotatable relative to the mounted pole. The coupler further includes an optional retainer for preventing lateral rotation of the body relative to the mounting pole. The ball joint of the mounting pole further includes an optional flange having a flat surface for interfacing with the retainers for preventing horizontal pivot of the body about the mounting pole. The pole is preferably adjustable in length, and may include an optional compression mechanism to allow for compression along a longitudinal axis thereof.  
           [0011]    The length of the body is preferably substantially greater than the width of the body, for example the length of the body is at least 1 ft in length.  
           [0012]    In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a mounting system. The system includes a pole and an elongated body having a longitudinal axis. A pad is coupled to an upper surface of the body. A coupler rotatably couples the pole to the body.  
           [0013]    In a preferred embodiment, the coupler rotatably couples the pole to the body such that the longitudinal axis of pole is parallel to, or lies in, a rotational plane of the longitudinal axis of the body. In another embodiment, the coupler removably couples the pole to the body. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an installed partition mount having an extended head, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a close-up perspective view of the partition mount of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of a head coupler in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the head coupler being coupled to a head, in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 4C is a top view of the ball and neck assembly, including a flange having flat edges for limiting lateral rotation of the head about the ball, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an installed curtain, illustrating sag in the curtain between partition mounts.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an installed curtain, including an extended-head mount mitigating sag in the curtain along the ceiling in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an installed curtain, including an extended-head mount mitigating sag in the curtail along a wall in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an installed partition mount having an extended head that utilizes a plurality of supporting poles, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 9A and 9B are side views of alternative embodiments of the head coupler and head interface, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 10A, 10B,  10 C, and  10 D are side views of alternative embodiments of the head pad, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the partition mount, in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]    [0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an installed partition mount  10  having an extended head, in accordance with the present invention. A spring-loaded jack curtain mount, referred to herein as a “jack”  12 , attaches to an adjustable-length pole  14  at a first interface  24 . In one example, the first interface  24  is threaded so as to accommodate a standard painter&#39;s pole  14 . A second interface in the form of a coupler  20  is opposite the first interface  24 , and is positioned on a neck  21  that travels with respect to the jack body, biased by an enclosed compression spring (not shown). Other forms of jacks, poles, and compression mechanisms, for example those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,469 incorporated herein by reference above, are equally applicable to the present invention.  
         [0027]    An elongated head  16  attaches to the jack  12  at the coupler  20 . A pivot in the coupler  20  permits rotational movement of the head  16 , relative to the pole  14  and jack  12 , for example in a single degree of freedom of rotation, that is, for example, parallel to the longitudinal axis  17  of the head  16 . The coupler  20  allows for the partition mount  10  to be installed in a variety of configurations, for example in a configuration where the ceiling and floor are not parallel. In various embodiments, the coupler  20  may comprise a hinge, or preferably, a snap-fit ball-and-socket joint that is, for example, limited in rotational degrees of freedom to allow for pivoting between the elongated head  16  with respect to the pole  14  and jack  12 , and to limit lateral rotation. The, coupler  20  may be located at any position along the longitudinal axis  17  of the head  16 , and may be in a fixed longitudinal position, or alternatively, in a variable longitudinal position that can be set by a user during installation. Alternatively, multiple poles  14  and jacks  12  may be mounted at various positions along a common head  16 , for example at the opposite ends of the head  16 , in order to avoid placing the poles  14  supporting the head  16  in a central position of a doorway.  
         [0028]    With reference to FIG. 2, which is a close-up perspective view of the partition mount of FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the elongated head  16  comprises a rail body  40  generally having a U-shaped cross-section, the rail including a channel  19  that is shaped to receive an edge of a compressible pad, for example in the form of a foam block  18 . The rail may be formed, for example, of extruded aluminum, or may otherwise be molded or die cast, for example of plastic, PVC, graphite or other resilient material. The foam block  18  is rectangular in shape and extends over the length of the head  16 . The foam block  18  may be compressed and seated into the channel  19 , or may otherwise be glued or bonded to the rail  40 . A portion of the body of the foam block  18  extends from the outer edge  42  of the rail  40  as shown, such that the foam compresses at installation to provide for lateral rigidity and conformance between the head, curtain and installation surface. The foam block  42  is preferably formed of a non-skid material to prevent slippage.  
         [0029]    In alternative embodiments, rather than having a U-shaped cross-section, the head  16  may comprise a rail  40  having a flat upper surface, and the compressible material (for example, the foam block  18 ) may be bonded directly to the upper surface of the flat rail  40 . Alternatively, the head  16  may be formed of a material that is substantially laterally rigid, so as to avoid flex, and compressible in the direction of the ceiling, or entirely rigid, depending on anticipated use. In one embodiment, the head  16  is of a length that is substantially longer than a width thereof, for example, the length is on the order of 2-4 feet, and the width is on the order of 1-2 inches. Other geometries are equally applicable, depending on system requirements.  
         [0030]    The spring-loaded jack  12  is coupled to the longitudinally extended head  16  at coupler  20 . The coupler  20  has a “U”-shaped cross section and includes mounting arms  68  with retention tabs  54  at its base, a socket  62  at a central location of the body  50 , neck retainers  52  along side portions of the body  50  and handles  64  at upper portions of the body  50 . The socket  62  receives a ball  60  provided at the end of neck  21  of the jack  12 . The ball  60  and socket  62  are preferably in a snap-fit relationship and together form a universal joint for allowing rotation of the head  16  relative to the jack  12  and pole. The socket is preferably of a geometry so as to receive a ball of the type described in U. S. Pat. No. 5,924,469, such that the head  16  of the present invention is compatible with the mounting jack described therein. The neck retainers  52  limit the rotation on the universal joint to one degree of freedom, for example along a plane defined between the longitudinal axis  17  of the head  16  and the pole and jack  12 . The coupler  20  further includes a pin  66  along its base, which is adapted to slide within a central groove  58  of the rail  40  to provide for additional system rigidity and to serve as a mounting alignment locator.  
         [0031]    The “U”-shaped coupler  20  includes opposed handles  64 . When inward pressure is exerted on the handles  64 , this causes the body of the coupler  20  to elastically deform. This, in turn, causes outward movement of the legs, or mounting arms  68 , and retention tabs  54 . When the pressure is released, the tabs  54  return to their original position. In this manner, the coupler can be mounted to, and released from, the body  40  of the head  16 .  
         [0032]    The head  16  includes an elongated rail  40  and a compressible pad  18 , for example a foam block. The rail  40  may comprise, for example, an extruded member formed of plastic, aluminum, or alloy, and having a “U”-shaped profile as shown. The pad  18  is mounted in cavity  19  of the body  40 , and may be press-fit, or otherwise bonded in place. The pad  18 , is, for example, rectangular in shape and may be formed of low-density foam or rubber, having a certain degree of compressibility so as to conform to an abutting surface, while still exhibiting resiliency and shape memory. The body  40  further includes a horizontal groove  56  on each outer side surface for interfacing with the retention tabs  54  on the arms  68  of the coupler  20 , and central slot  58 , for interfacing with the pin  66  on the body of the coupler  20 .  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of a head coupler  20  in accordance with the present invention. In this view, it can be seen that the socket  62  includes voids, or slots  63 , which allow for elastic expansion of the socket  62  about an inserted ball. In addition, the lower portion of the body  50  includes elasticity grooves  51 , for improving the elasticity of the body  50  to allow for ease in deformation when mounting the body to a head. The geometry of the neck retainers  52  is also visible in this view. The neck retainers  52  are preferably spaced apart a suitable distance so as to retain the neck to prevent lateral rotation of the neck about the head and to permit free longitudinal rotation of the neck about the head. Other geometries of the head coupler and its various components and features are equally applicable to the present invention.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the coupler  20  being coupled to a head  16 , in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 4A, a neck  21  and ball  60  of the jack assembly are pushed into the socket  62  of the coupler. With reference to FIG. 4B, once inserted, the ball  60  is press-fit into the socket  62 , while neck retainers  52 , extending from the body  50  prevent motion in the lateral direction, as indicated by arrows  76 . In addition, with reference to the top view of the ball  60  and neck  21  assembly of FIG. 4C, the neck can be provided with a flange  63  having flat edge features  63  as shown. The flat edges  63  of the flange  60  are configured such that, when the ball is mounted into the socket, as shown in FIG. 4B, the flat edges  63  interface with the inner surfaces of the neck retainers  52 , thereby preventing horizontal pivot of the head  16  assembly about the neck  21 , as indicated by arrow  77 . In this manner, greater control over the positioning of the head can be realized during mounting.  
         [0035]    Returning to FIG. 4A, when inward pressure, as shown by arrows  78  is applied to the handles  64  of the coupler  20 , the body  50  of the coupler flexes and the arms  68  move in an outward direction, as indicated by arrows  80 . Outward movement of the arms  68  in turn causes the retention tabs  54  to deflect outwardly as shown, such that the tabs  54  can be positioned in the opposed horizontal grooves  56  of the rail  40 . Coupler pin  66  is aligned with the central slot  58  of the rail  40  to serve as a mounting guide. In addition, the coupler pin provides a point for leverage when mounting and removing the coupler  20 , ensuring that when force is applied to the handles, both sets of tabs are released at the, same time from the rail.  
         [0036]    As shown in FIG. 4B, when the inward pressure  78  is released, the retention tabs  54  are fixed in the horizontal slots  56 , and bear on an upper portion thereof At the same time, the lower surface of the body of the coupler  20  bears down on an upper surface  70  of the body of the rail  40 . Non-skid material, for example, in the form of rubber plugs  71  inserted into the lower surface of the coupler  20  body, further provide for a secure fit between the coupler  20  and rail  40 , for example preventing slip of the coupler  20  in a longitudinal direction of the rail  40 . The interaction of the retention tabs  54  and the lower surface of the coupler  20 , along with the non-skid material  71 , secures the coupler  20  to the head  16 .  
         [0037]    In one embodiment, the present invention further allows for positioning of the coupler  20  at a plurality of locations along the length of the rail  40  of the head  16 . In the example given above, a suitable amount of inward pressure can be exerted on the handles  64  of the coupler  20  to cause the inward force of the retention tabs  54  to be released slightly. With the retention tabs  54  still interfacing with the rail groove  56 , and with the pin  66  still interfacing with the central slot  58 , when the retention tabs  54  are released slightly, the coupler  20  slides freely along the rail  40  of the head  16 . In this manner, the coupler  20  can be positioned at any desired location along the rail  40 . This feature further allows for a plurality of pole and jack assemblies to be mounted to a common head  16 . In an alternative embodiment, the positioning of the interface of the coupler  20  and head  16  can be at fixed, indexed positions along the rail  40 , for example, spaced apart by a fixed distance.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an installed curtain, illustrating sag in the curtain between partition mounts. A curtain  32  is secured to first and second mounting jacks  12  and poles  14 , for example of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,469. The top edge of the curtain  32  is attached to the heads  34  of the jacks  12 , and the poles  14  are adjusted in length at adjustment mechanism  15  so as to be rigid between the floor and ceiling, and such that the head  34  and foot  30  are outwardly biased by the spring within the jack  12 . Outward tension in the curtain  32  is created by moving the heads  34  apart from each other, and, ideally, the curtain  32  remains tensioned between them.  
         [0039]    However, due to a variety of factors, including slippage between the jack heads  34  and ceiling, slippage between the curtain  32  and jack heads  34 , stretch in the curtain  32  material, or movement of the foot  30  and curtain relative to the floor, or a combination of all of these factors, tension along the upper edge of the curtain, where the curtain interfaces with the ceiling, may be immediately, or eventually diminished, in which case a curtain sag may result, leaving a gap as indicated by arrow  36 . Such a gap may be undesirable in many applications.  
         [0040]    Turning to FIG. 6, an extended-head mount, in accordance with the present invention, can be used to mitigate or eliminate the effects of curtain sag. The head  16  is mounted to pole  14 A at spring-loaded jack  12 A. The spring, or other compression mechanism, serves to outwardly bias the pole and head with respect to each other, such that upon adjustment of the length of the pole  14 A at adjustment mechanism  15 A, the foot  30 A can be made to interface with the lower portion of the curtain  32  at the floor, and the head  16  can be made to interface with the upper portion of the curtain  32  at the ceiling. The upper portion of the foam pad  18  of the head is in contact with the underside of the curtain  32 , and serves to urge the curtain  32  against the ceiling. The foam block  18  of the head has a certain degree of give and therefore conforms to the abutting surface.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an installed curtain, including an extended-head mount, mitigating sag or gaps in the curtain along a wall. In this configuration, the pole length is adjusted at adjustment mechanism  15 A so as to compress the foot  30 A and head  16  between the floor and wall respectively. The body of the head  16 , with foam insert  18 , serves to urge the curtain against the wall, under the tension of the compression of the spring in the jack  12 A.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an installed partition mount having an extended head that utilizes a plurality of supporting poles, in accordance with the present invention. In this example, first and second mounting poles  14 A,  14 B are both coupled to a common mounting head  16 . In this example, the first pole  14 A includes a jack assembly  12 A as described above, and the second pole  14 B, for the purpose of example, does not include such a spring-loaded jack. Instead, a ball  60  and flange  61  are mounted directly to an upper portion of the pole  14 B, and the compressibility of the pad  18  in the neck provides sufficient give, such that tension can be applied along the pole  14 B between the foot  30  and head  16 , via coupler  20 B upon proper adjustment of the length of the pole. Alternatively, for example, a longitudinal compression mechanism, for example a spring, may be integrated into the adjustable-length pole  14 B. This embodiment is especially useful for applications requiring a central opening, such as a doorway, or in applications where an especially long mounting head is desired, and the amount of support available from a single pole and jack is insufficient.  
         [0043]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
         [0044]    For example, with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, side views of alternative embodiments of the coupler and head interface are illustrated. In the example of FIG. 9A, the head includes a U-shaped rail  91  having a flat upper portion  92 . The arms  68  of the coupler  20  in this example extend to the lower edge  95  of the rail  91 , where retention tabs  54  grasp and retain the edge  95 . Non-skid pads  71  may be provided at the interface of the head  16  and coupler  20 , as described above. In the example of FIG. 9B, the head includes a flat rail  93 , and a flat pad  18  is attached to the bottom surface of the flat rail  93 . The arms  68  of the coupler  20  in this example include retention tabs that reach about the body of, and secure, the rail  93 . Non-skid pads  71  may be provided, as described above.  
         [0045]    In another example, FIGS. 10A, 10B,  10 C, and  10 D are side views of alternative embodiments of the curtain interface, in accordance with the present invention. In the example of FIG. 10A, the head rail  97 A is U-shaped, and a tubular head pad  99 A formed, for example, of extruded vinyl, is press fit and optionally bonded into the rail cavity. The hollow shape of the head pad  99 A provides compressibility when mounted. In the example of FIG. 10B, the head rail  97 B is U-shaped, and a head pad  99 B, for example formed of hard rubber, is press fit and optionally bonded into the rail cavity. In this example, the head pad  99 B includes a plurality of fingers  101  that extend from the body of the pad as shown. Compressibility in the pad  99 B is achieved through the flexibility in the fingers  101 . In the example of FIG. 10C, the head rail  97 C is flat, with a T-shaped retainer  103  extending from the base. A compressible foam, rubber, or vinyl pad  99 C is formed on, or applied to, the rail  97 C, held in place by the retainer  103 . In the example of FIG. 10D, the head rail  97 D, is flat with a U-shaped retainer  105  extending from the base. A compressible foam, rubber, or vinyl pad  99 D is inserted in the retainer  105 . In this example, the head pad  99 D includes a plurality of fingers  107  that extend from the body of the pad as shown. Compressibility in the pad  99 D is achieved through the flexibility in the fingers  107 .  
         [0046]    In other alternative embodiments, the interface of the pole and head may comprise a fixed, non-rotating joint. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the head coupler  20 , for coupling the head  16  and pole  14 , may be at a fixed position on the head. In an embodiment that permits rotation of the head relative to the pole, a one-degree-of-rotation joint, for example a hinge  118  or axle, may be used to couple the pole  14  and head  16 . In addition, the interface between the pole  14  and the coupler may comprise any of a number of suitable configurations, including, for example, a male/female threaded interface, or a slip-fit interface whereby the pole and coupler mate with each other, with a push-button  114  and corresponding hole  116  for securing the coupler  20  and/or head  16  to the pole  14 . A spring  112  may be integrated directly into the pole  14 , as shown. The pole  14  may include an adjustment mechanism  15  for adjusting the length, as described above.

Summary:
A mounting system mitigates or eliminates sags or gaps between an installed curtain and an abutting surface such as a wall or ceiling. The system accomplishes this in a manner that avoids permanent damage to the wall or ceiling surface. A head is provided having an elongated body and a compressible curtain interface. A spring-loaded adjustable pole is configured to urge the head against the curtain and abutting surface. In this manner, the curtain is made to conform to the abutting surface, and gaps are thereby mitigated or eliminated between mounting jacks.