Patent Abstract:
A system of panels is described that is used as a room divider and or door. The system includes at least one panel formed of two frames sandwiching an intermediate member made of an opaque or a light transmissive glazing, the frames and intermediate member having substantially identical dimensions and being superimposed. Locking means are also provided that are used to open and close several panels in a telescopic manner.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/531,703 filed Dec. 22, 2003 and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of Invention 
     This application pertains to a dividing system for partitioning a room or closing off one side of the room or doorway and separate the room from another room or from the outside. The system includes one or more panels formed of two frames and an intermediate transparent or opaque member sandwiched therebetween. 
     B. Description of the Prior Art 
     Typically, rooms are either subdivided by a system of screens or panels. Many screens and panels have similar structures; they consist of a generally rectangular frame that provides most of the structural strength of the panel and have some sort of indentation used to hold and support a central intermediate element. In the case of screens, the intermediate member is either a stiff material, such as a grill, or a flexible material such as a mesh. On the other hand, the central element of a panel is a relatively rigid material that is frequently transparent, or at least translucent, such as a sheet of glass or plastic. 
     One problem with existing panels or screens is that the frame of the panel has to be strong and heavy to support the central member. However, esthetically, panels made of lighter and thinner materials are more desirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system of panels is disclosed that can be used as a room divider, as a door, etc. The system includes at least one panel formed of two superimposed frames and an intermediate member sandwiched between the frames. The intermediate member is made from a transparent or translucent material. Alternatively, the intermediate member is made of an opaque member, provided, optionally with decorative cutouts. The frames and the glazing have substantially identical dimensions. Means are also provided to join the frames and the glazing into single integral unit. These locking means include holes and complementary dowels, and/or double sided tapes. 
     The frames can be made of wood, a wood-based composite material, a plastic material or metal tubing. 
     The intermediate member may be a glazing made of glass, acrylic, etc, and preferably made with design elements to enhance its esthetic aspects. In one embodiment, panels of a system have different designs which, when superimposed, create a completely new and attractive design. 
     Preferably, the system can also be provided with a set of hook plates and stop plates attached to the panels. These plates are constructed and arranged so that the panels can be opened and closed selectively in a telescopic action. 
     The system may also include wheels mounted on the panels, the wheels engaging stationary rails. The system may also be provided with channels, or other guides for controlling the lateral movement of the panels. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  shows a front elevational view of a panel constructed in accordance with this invention; 
         FIG. 1B  shows a first enlarged side-elevational cross sectional view of the panel of  FIG. 1A  taken along line  1 B- 1 B in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 1C  shows a front elevational view of the frame member; 
         FIG. 1D  shows a second enlarged side-elevational cross sectional view of the panel of  FIG. 1A  taken along line  1 D- 1 D in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 2  shows an isometric exploded view of the panel of  FIGS. 1A-1D ; 
         FIG. 3A  shows a front elevational view of a hook plate for the panel of  FIGS. 1A-D  and  2 ; 
         FIG. 3B  shows a side elevational view of the hook plate of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3C  shows a rear elevational view of the hook plate of  FIGS. 3A and 3B ; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a plan view of a stop plate used for the panel; 
         FIG. 4B  shows a side sectional view of the stop plate of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 4C  shows a bottom view of the stop plate of  FIGS. 4A and 4B ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a side sectional view of a plurality of panels in accordance with this invention; 
         FIG. 6A  shows a bottom view of a plurality of panels in the open position; 
         FIG. 6B  shows a top view of the panels of  FIG. 6A  in a partially closed position; and 
         FIG. 6C  shows a top view of the panels of  FIG. 6A  in a completely closed position; 
         FIG. 7-A-D  shows top views of typical panel systems with a single panel; 
         FIGS. 8A-8F  show top views of typical panel systems with two panels; 
         FIGS. 9A-9C  show top views of typical panel systems with three panels; 
         FIGS. 10A-10E  show top views of typical panel systems with four panels; 
         FIG. 11  show top views of a special panel system with six panels; 
         FIGS. 12A-C  show three panels with three different designs, and  FIG. 12D  show the three designs superimposed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly  FIGS. 1A-D , a panel  10  constructed in accordance with this invention includes a front frame  12 , a back frame  14  and an intermediate glazing  16 . Preferably the two frames  12 ,  14 , are made from the same material, but they could be made of different materials as well. Some typical materials that could be used for frames  12 ,  14  include solid, furniture grade wood, composite wood (such as plywood that is painted or covered with a natural or artificial veneer or a laminate material) acrylic, plastic, metal (aluminum—solid or tubular—) and other similar materials. The glazing could be made of glass, but preferably it is made of a plastic material such as an acrylic. A typical frame may be about 3″ wide and the panel may be about 48″ wide, 96″ high and 2″ thick, however, it may be made to any other dimensions as well. Typically, the glazing is about ¼: thick. As shown in the drawings, these three components have substantially the same dimensions, except at the bottom where the glazing  16  may be about ⅞″ shorter to form a groove  18 . This groove may be used to mount the panel on a floor guide (not shown). 
     As shown in  FIG. 1C , on its inner surface, each frame  12 ,  14  and glazing  16  are formed with a plurality of holes  20  and complementary dowels  22 . These holes  20  and dowels  22  are used as a means for securing the three components together. Dowels  22  can be made of wood, plastic, or other materials and typically have a diameter of ⅜ in. The dowels have several purposes: they align the frames and the glazing during assembly, and they hold the elements of the panel together. The clear double sided tape may also be used on the inner surfaces of the frames, as at  24 . The tape insures that the glazing and panels do not shift with respect to each other during assembly. The tape further holds the elements of the panel together. 
     The panel  10  is assembled as follows. A template (not shown) is made of stiff material such as MDF and has the required dimensions and ⅜″ holes made about a foot apart and 1½″ from the edge. For the frames, strips are cut from standard stock. The strips are edge-banded, sanded and finished with stain and/or other coating material. Four strips are attached at right angles, or butt-joined, using for example a Hoffman joining machine, to form each frame  12 ,  14 . The frame  14  and the glazing  16  are placed on a worktable with template disposed on top of the glazing  16 . The bottom two elements are aligned and clamped to the table. The template is then used to drill holes  20  through the glazing and into the frame  14 . Each hole is about ⅝″ deep. The template is then reversed and used in a similar operation to drill holes in frame  12  in a mirror pattern. Alternatively, the glazing can be predrilled with the holes  20  and then used as the template for making the holes in the frames  12 ,  14 . 
     Next, a protective cover from one side of a double sided 2¾″ tape  24  is removed and the exposed tape is applied all around the frame. The portions of the tape covering holes  20  are burned out (using, for instance, a hot glue gun nozzle) and the tape is then pressed by hand causing its adhesive to wet the frame. Next, dowels  22  with some glue are inserted in all the holes  20 . The protective cover from the second side of the tape is removed. 
     Typically, the glazing  16  is covered with a protective sheet. This sheet is now removed on one side, at least around the glazing perimeter, thus exposing the actual glazing surface. The glazing  16  is then lowered over the dowels  22  so that the glazing surface comes into contact with the tape  24  and is secured in this manner to frame  14 . Next, some glue is applied to the dowels  22  and/or holes  20  in frame  12 , the protective sheet from the other side of the glazing  16  is removed and tape is applied to the second frame  12 . The frame  12  is then lowered over the glazing  16  thereby securing the glazing to the second frame  12  as well. In order to insure proper adhesion, the frames are pressed together by hand and by a 130 psi continuous air clamp (not shown). The air clamp squeezes all the layers together, one side at a time. It may be applied for five seconds on each side. The resulting panel  10  can be shipped, stored or hardware can be applied to it, as described below. 
     The panel may have other configurations as well, and may be assembled by using other techniques. For example, in one embodiment, the glazing is replaced by a core having approximately the same thickness, but being made of an opaque material, such as solid wood, composite wood, plastic or aluminum sheets, and so on. Moreover, the intermediate element is opaque, holes or cutouts may be provided therein, having different geometric shapes. 
     In a somewhat preferred embodiment, the panel is made by first making the required holes in the intermediate element, be it a transparent or an opaque element. The intermediate element is then used instead of a template to make the holes in the frames  12 ,  14 . 
     The process for making the panel  10  could be altered in other ways as well. For example, the frames  12 ,  14  can be made from strips that have been mitered and then joined in a normal manner. Moreover, depending on the materials used for the frames, the frames can be painted, or covered with a low pressure molded laminate skin (not shown). 
     Once the panel  10  is finished it can be used in various configurations as described in more detail below. If necessary, the panel can be hung on a standard sliding system. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a plurality of panels  10 A,  10 B, and  10 C can be secured to an overhead track system as follows. First, each panel  10  receives a plurality of rods  50 , each rod being provided with a pair of wheels  52 . Also provided are a plurality of rails  54  attached to the top wall  56  of the opening to be closed with the panels. The panels  10 A-C are dimensioned so that they fit between this top wall  56  and the flooring  58 . The panels can now be moved along the railings  52 . They can be left floating over the flooring, and a guide bar (not shown) can be secured to the flooring so that it can extend into the groove  18 . 
     Alternatively, if the panels are left floating, then they can be provided with some additional hardware that interlocks the panels and allows them to be moved in a telescopic manner. The hardware to accomplish this mode of operation includes a hook-plate  70  and a stop plate  80 . As shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C , the hook plate  70  includes base  72  with a plurality of beveled holes  74  used to mount the hook plate  70  to the panel. Attached to the base  70 , there is an arm  76  formed of an extension  78 , collinear plate  72  and a member  79 . As can be seen in  FIG. 6A , the hook plate is attached along the bottom surface of the panels with the member  79  extending into groove  18 . 
     Stop plates  80  have a generally rectangular shape and have two holes  82 . They are also attached to the bottom of the panels  10 . 
     The hook plate  70  and stop plate  80  is made of a ¾″ by 3″ cold rolled steel stock or other similar materials. 
     The telescoping operation is now described in conjunction with  FIGS. 6A-6C . In  FIG. 6A , the three panels  10 A,  10 B,  10 C are aligned so that they completely overlap. As seen in the Figure, panel  10 A has a hook plate  70 A, panel  10 B has a hook plate  70 B and a stop plate  80 B and panel  10 C has two stop plates  80 C 1  and  80 C 2 . This is the open or consolidated position of the panels. In this position, the hook plate  70 A is abutting hook plate  70 B, and hook plate  70 B is abutting stop plate  80 C 2 . Thus, base  72  on hook plate  70 B acts as a stop for the hook plate  70 A. 
     Next, system can be closed by pulling panel  10 C to the right. As the panel  10 C moves to the right, it is maintained stable by the member  79  riding in groove  18 . The other two panels  10 A,  10 B remain stationary until the stop  80 C 1  reaches the hook plate  70 B. Once stop  80 C 1  contacts hook plate  70 B, further motion of the panel  10 C to the right causes the panel  10 B to start moving to the right as well, as shown in  FIG. 6B . The position in  FIG. 6B  is a partially closed position. 
     The panels  10 C,  10 B continue moving to the right until the stop  80 B contacts hook  70 A. Preferably, panel  70 A is anchored in place to keep it from moving. This is the closed position of the system. Each panel maintains each position and does not flop with respect to the other panels because of the engagement between member  79  of the hook plates  70  and the groove  18  of the adjacent panels. 
     Systems with panels constructed in this manner can be used in various configurations, and for various purposes. Moreover, systems can be made that include from one to six panels, or even more panels, depending on the size and weight of the desired design.  FIGS. 7A-7D ,  8 A- 8 F ,  9 A- 9 C,  10 A- 10 E and  11  show just some of these systems.  FIGS. 7A-7D  show systems with a single panel  10 AA,  10 BB,  10 CC,  10 DD. The panel could form a sliding door ( FIG. 7A ), a door that fits into a pocket  90  ( FIG. 7B ), a fixed door ( FIG. 7C ), or a hinged door ( FIG. 7D ). 
       FIGS. 8A-8E  show various similar configurations for two panel systems.  FIG. 8F  shows two panels  10 AB,  10 BA that are hinged to each other so that they can be folded. 
       FIGS. 9A-9C  show three-panel systems can slide with respect to each other, or can be folded ( FIG. 9C ). 
       FIGS. 10A-10E  show four-panel systems. The four panels can be connected end-to-end so that they can opened telescopically ( FIG. 10B ) all at once, or they are coupled two-by-two so that they can be opened from the center, either telescopically ( FIGS. 10A ,  10 C,  10 D) or by folding ( FIG. 10E ). 
     Finally,  FIG. 11  shows a six-panel system that can be opened from the center. 
     The configurations shown in  FIGS. 8-11  are provided merely as illustrative examples. Obviously, panels may be assembled in many other variations as well. 
     One of the advantages of the invention is that different esthetic designs can be achieved as the panels are opened and closed. For example,  FIGS. 12A-12C  show three different panels, each having a unique design as seen when the panels are disposed side by side.  FIG. 12D  show how, when the panels are in superimposed position, the three designs are also superimposed creating a new design. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , for at least some of the systems, the panels are provided with wheels that can engage stationary railings. Thus, the panels can be hung from the railings and moved back and forth, as desired. In addition, in some systems, other means are provided, if necessary to limit the lateral movement of the panels. These means may include floor channels disposed on the sides of the panels. The means may also include either a single elongated rail that extends into the groove  18 . This embodiment, of course, is applicable only in configurations with panels that do not have stop or hook plates. In another embodiment, pins are provided in the panels that expand downwardly to engage a groove or other similar guide formed in the floor below the panels. 
     Obviously, numerous modifications may be made to this invention without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4