Patent Abstract:
A temporary movable/removable compression partition wall system for partitioning a room includes a wall component and spaced-apart pressure feet at the top of the wall for pressing against a track positioned between the top of the wall and the ceiling and additional spaced-apart pressure feet at the bottom of the wall for pressing against a track positioned between the bottom of the wall and the floor. This wall is temporarily, securely and rigidly positionable at a selected location in a room and subsequently removable with substantially no damage to the ceiling, floor or walls.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The field of this invention is partition wall systems where a temporary wall is positioned to partition a room into separated parts. Such systems are applicable and highly useful in residential apartments and homes, lofts, offices, theaters, schools, hospitals, gymnasiums and other institutional, commercial and industrial buildings. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art 
         [0004]    Need for temporary partitioning of space occurs in countless situations, as when separate spaces are needed within a given room or when a particular room is too large for the desired use, and specifically in residential apartments and homes where the total space is limited and within that space an additional bedroom, storage, den or other work space is temporarily needed. 
         [0005]    As indicated above, the field of this invention is temporary partition wall systems where it is contemplated that a temporary wall will, at a future date, be removed or moved. Common and typical problems associated with temporary removable walls, or partition walls generally, in the prior art include: 
         [0006]    1. Residual damage to the ceiling, floor and/or walls after removal of the temporary wall, requiring plastering, painting and/or other surface repairs and finishing. 
         [0007]    2. The expensive cost of assembly and erection of temporary walls because of the requirement for a professional installer. 
         [0008]    3. The expensive cost of the temporary wall components. 
         [0009]    4. The cost of transporting and/or storing the relatively heavy wall components. 
         [0010]    5. The difficulty or impossibility for residential tenants to do their own assembly because it is too heavy and/or complicated. 
         [0011]    6. The difficulty and high cost to apply finish molding at the ceiling, floor and walls to achieve a finished appearance. 
         [0012]    7. The difficulty to achieve strength, stability and sound-proofing. 
         [0013]    8. The fact that typical prior art temporary walls either do not include internal wiring or pre-formed door frames or windows. 
         [0014]    9. Height limitations of prior art temporary walls. 
         [0015]    In summary, there is a very great need for temporary walls in residential institutional, entertainment, and commercial buildings, and there are many undesirable costs, difficulties and downsides associated with such walls. Interested persons must either accept the collection of advantages and disadvantages or else do without the temporary walls. The new temporary movable/removable compression partition system overcomes or reduces most of the above-described problems in prior art partition systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE NEW INVENTION 
       [0016]    The new compression partition wall system includes all or various combinations of the following features and advantages: 
         [0017]    1. The walls of this partition system comprise lightweight material, so that a professional or non-professional average homeowner can handle, move and install the walls. A typical new wall panel will weigh about 50 pounds compared to a typical prior art panel which weight 130 pounds. 
         [0018]    2. This partition wall employs a compression system so that fasteners to the ceiling, floor and wall are not needed. Therefore, damage is not caused to these surfaces and repair to said surfaces is not required when the partition is removed. 
         [0019]    3. This compression wall system, also called “Pressure Lock System”, includes tracks at the ceiling and on the floor respectively above and below the temporary wall. Pressure feet extending upward and downward respectively from the top and bottom of the temporary wall, press against the two tracks to level and tightly and securely stabilize the wall with respect to the ceiling and floor. Each pressure foot is axially adjustable to adjust the wall elevation position and to achieve horizontal stability, thus maintaining the wall in its vertical orientation and in its lateral (north, south, east and west) location. The tracks are preferably channel-shaped, but may alternatively be generally flat, thin planks. 
         [0020]    4. The new temporary compression wall is constructed of a plurality of panels which are normally eight feet high for typical eight feet high ceilings by four feet wide, but these dimensions may vary. To form a wall, vertically oriented panels are placed edge-to-edge and removably joined together. In a preferred embodiment an I-beam serves as the junction element, with adjacent side edges of adjacent panels positioned in one of the opposite channel-shaped sides of the I-beam. Along the top and bottom of each panel is secured a horizontal channel having integrated threads (threaded holes) to receive threaded shanks of the pressure feet. Thus, the vertical pressure is applied along the horizontal length of each panel to both the ceiling and the floor surfaces without causing any damage to these surfaces. 
         [0021]    5. This new temporary wall system can also be used in lofts or locations where the ceilings are exceptionally high, by attaching piggyback panels to the standard height partitions. 
         [0022]    It is thus an object of this invention to provide an improved temporary movable/removable partition wall system which does not damage the ceiling or floor when installed. 
         [0023]    It is a further object of this invention to provide a temporary partition wall system which is removably secured in a selected location by using axially adjustable pressure feet that extend toward the ceiling and the floor. In a preferred embodiment a ceiling track is positioned between the ceiling and upper pressure feet, and a floor track is positioned between the floor and the lower pressure feet. 
         [0024]    An additional object is to provide a temporary compression partition wall formed of light weight panels that can be easily and quickly connected by their side edges to have a wall of desired length. In a preferred embodiment each two adjacent panel edges fit into opposite sides of a vertical I-beam with removable biscuits extending through slots in the web of the I-beam and into slots in the side edges of the panels. It is an additional object to provide a temporary wall system that can be handled, installed, removed and stored by both non-professionals and by professionals. 
         [0025]    These and other objects of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a fragmentary elevation view of the temporary partition of this invention shown installed to the ceiling, floor and walls of a room. 
           [0027]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view in partial section taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 , showing one end of the new partitioned wall adjacent a permanent wall. 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 1 , showing a top portion of the new partitioned wall adjacent to the ceiling. 
           [0029]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 , showing a bottom portion of the new partitioned wall adjacent to the floor. 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1 , showing a top portion of the header panel above the door frame adjacent to the ceiling. 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary top plan view in section taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 , showing the attached side edges of two adjacent panels. 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary top plan view partially in section taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 3 , showing a wrench applied to one of the pressure feet. 
           [0033]      FIG. 8  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 6 , showing the connection of adjacent side edges of two adjacent panels. 
           [0034]      FIG. 9  is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a new temporary compression partition wall of this invention, including attached partitions and pressure feet at the top and bottom thereof and ceiling and floor tracks. 
           [0035]      FIG. 10  is a fragmentary exploded perspective view enlarged of an upper portion of the assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 11  is a fragmentary elevation view of a new temporary wall similar to  FIG. 1 , but showing interlocking piggyback panels attached to the tops of regular panels for a partition wall having a height greater than the standard eight feet. 
           [0037]      FIG. 12  is a fragmentary top plan view in section taken along line  12 - 12  in  FIG. 11 , of an end post portion of the partitioned wall. 
           [0038]      FIG. 13  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  13 - 13  in  FIG. 11 , showing at the top of the connection of the upper part of the wall to the ceiling and at the bottom showing the connection of the piggyback panel to the basic panel. 
           [0039]      FIG. 14  is a fragmentary elevation view in perspective showing a temporary partition wall having a principal part at the right angle to an auxiliary part, thus defining a corner. 
           [0040]      FIG. 15  is a fragmentary top plan view in section taken along line  15 - 15  in  FIG. 14 , showing the connection of the right angle panels at the corner intersection. 
           [0041]      FIG. 15A  is a perspective view of the corner junction column for attaching panels at a right angle as seen in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . 
           [0042]      FIG. 16  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  16 - 16  in  FIG. 15 , showing the junction of one right angle panel to the connection column. 
           [0043]      FIG. 17  is a fragmentary top plan view in section showing the junction of two adjacent panels along their adjacent side edges. 
           [0044]      FIG. 18  is a fragmentary elevation view in section taken along line  18 - 18  in  FIG. 17 , showing an alternate version of the coupling biscuit for joining two adjacent panels along their mutual edges. 
       
    
    
       [0045]    The features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0046]      FIG. 1  shows an installation of a temporary pressurized wall  10  of my movable/removable compression partition system where the new wall partitions a room  12  into separate parts. Wall  10  is formed of two 8′×4′ panels  14  and  15 , plus door frame  16 , header panel  17  above the door frame  16  and filler panel  18 . As indicated in  FIG. 1 , panels  14  and  15  are detachably joined together along their adjacent side edges  14 A and  15 A, as will be described later in detail. Panel  15  is similarly removably attached to panel  17 , and panel  17  is removably attached to panel  18 . Room  12  includes side walls  12 A and  12 B, ceiling  12 E and floor  12 D. Wall  10  has top part  10 A which removably engages ceiling  10 C, and bottom part  10 B which removably engages floor  12 D. 
         [0047]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view in section of panel  18  engaging the room&#39;s side wall  12 B. Panel  18 , while narrower than basic panel  14 , has certain typical construction features, such as front and rear panel faces  18 A and  18 B, front and rear bottom (vertical moldings)  18 C and  18 D, and batten clips  19 . Panel  18  also has an end cap,  20  which is a vertical channel  20  extending from top to bottom along the exposed side edge that engages the room&#39;s wall  12 B. 
         [0048]    The overall construction of a typical wall panel  14  is seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10  as follows. Inner frame  22  comprises vertical inner studs  23  and outer studs  24  usually of aluminum or steel with slots  25  to receive biscuits  26  which will be further described later, for connecting one panel side edge to an adjacent panel side edge. The above-mentioned studs  23  and  24  are coupled to top and bottom beams  27  and  28  by rivets, adhesive or other fastening means to form the basic internal frame. Attached to said inner frame  22  is front panel face  29 , rear panel face  30  is not shown in  FIG. 9 , but is visible in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . A typical panel comprises an aluminum frame with corrugated cardboard outer skins sold under the name “Miracle Board” by PlyVeneer Products Co. My preferred panel comprises Miracle Board clad with a veneer for a prefinished appearance. The panels are also available with a printable surface for field finishing. All panels are prefabricated, including selected exterior surface, so that they are immediately usable when the wall is assembled and installed. 
         [0049]    As seen in  FIGS. 9 ,  10  and  3 , secured atop frame  22  by screws  31  is channel track  32  which includes threaded holes  33 . In each threaded hole  33  is one pressure foot  34 , which when rotated, moves axially upward or downward as indicated by arrow  35 . Each of the three threaded holes  33  receives a similar pressure foot  34 . At the bottom of frame  22  is bottom channel track  36  which is the same as top channel track  32 , but inverted, and which include pressure feet  37 , similar to those at the top. 
         [0050]    As seen in  FIG. 9 , panels  14  and  15  are coupled together via slotted I-beam  36  whose channel-shape left side  36 A receives an edge of panel  14  and whose channel shape right side  36 B receives the edge of panel  15 . That coupling is stabilized by the above-mentioned biscuits  26 . Other biscuits  37  stabilize the junction of top channel track  32  atop panel  14  with the top channel track of the adjacent and coupled panel  15 . 
         [0051]    At the time of installation of the new temporary compression wall, floor track  41  is positioned at a desired location on the floor, and ceiling track is situated atop the first wall panel. The bottom edge of this first panel is situated in the floor track, and the panel is pivoted upward with the ceiling track on-board at the top. Or the ceiling track may be independently positioned at the ceiling, until the wall panel is pivoted up to engage it. Ceiling and floor tracks are made of standard commercial rigid PVC. Pressure feet  37  and  34  respectively at the bottom and top of the panels are rotated, applying axial pressure via tracks  40  and  41  to the floor and ceiling until the wall is leveled, secured and stabilized in the desired position. Each panel is stabilized relative to adjacent panels by its coupling via an I-beam  36 , in addition to its engagement with the ceiling and to the floor. 
         [0052]      FIG. 3  shows in greater detail the engagement of panel  14  with ceiling  12 C, where pressure foot  34  applies upward vertical face, indicated by arrows  42  through ceiling track  40  to ceiling  12 C. 
         [0053]    As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , each pressure foot  34  has a threaded shank  34 A with opposite flats  34 B to receive a wrench  43  which is used to rotate the pressure foot and move it axially and apply the upward vertical face against the ceiling. The wrench is used similarly with the bottom pressure feet engaging the floor track. 
         [0054]    After pressure feet adjustment is complete, the upper position of panel  14  where the pressure feet are visible is covered by front crown molding  18 C and rear crown molding  18 D, each being snapped on via horizontal bead projection  45  and mating horizontal groove  46  in crown molding  18 C. As seen in  FIG. 4 , a similar and essentially the same operation and construction is employed at the bottom of the wall, with groove  46  of base molding releasably coupled with projection  45  which extends laterally from floor track  41 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 1  shows door frame  16  with header panel  17  immediately above the door frame.  FIG. 10  shows channel components  10 A of door frame  16  and inner frame  17 A of header panel  17 .  FIG. 5  shows the top part  17 T of header panel  17  with front and rear faces  17 A and  17 B, junction biscuit  26  for coupling header panel  17  to adjacent basic panel  15  (not shown here). Ceiling track  40  extends above header panel  17 , and front and rear crown moldings  18 C and  18 D extend across the top part  17 T of the header panel. Crown and baseboard moldings are typically of rigid PVC. 
         [0056]    Coupling of adjacent side edges of two panels  14  and  15  is shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  6 ,  8 , and  9 . In  FIG. 9  slots  25  are visible where they are vertically spaced along each side edge of the panels. For a typical coupling, as seen in  FIG. 6 , slotted rigid PVC I-beam  36  receives one side edge of each panel into the channel-shaped edge. Each biscuits  26  extends through a slot in I-beam  36  and into aligned slots  25  in the two adjacent panels. The sectional viewed  FIG. 8  shows in enlarged sectional detail: 
         [0057]    a) Web  36 A of slotted I-beam  36 . 
         [0058]    b) Slotted outside stud  24 A of panel  14 . 
         [0059]    c) Slotted outside stud  24 B of panel  15 . 
         [0060]    d) Upper biscuit  26 A. 
         [0061]    e) Lower biscuit  26 B where a plurality of such biscuits are alternated along the top to bottom length of the panel. Each biscuit has a flange, as flange  26 C of biscuit  26 A and flange  26 D of biscuit  26 B. With this arrangement, flange  26 C of biscuit  26 A, for example, is sandwiched between stud  24 B and web  36 A of I-beam  36 , so that biscuit  26 A cannot fall or be pushed out of the position shown, where it has approximately half its length in panel  14  and half in panel  15 . Biscuit  26 B is similarly situated, except that its flange  26 D is on the left side of web  36 A. This prevents the biscuits from falling or being pushed out of position, where their presence helps to stabilize the panels relative to each other. Principal stabilization exists mainly from the pressure feet exerting upward and downward forces respectively against the ceiling and floor. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 11 ,  12  and  13  illustrate an extension system where a basic temporary compression wall of this invention can be extended to function in rooms with very high ceilings having the height of twelve feet, for example. The wall of  FIG. 11  corresponds generally to the wall of  FIG. 1 , except that the basic wall panels  50  in  FIG. 11  are modified to receive the extension headers (extension header panels)  52 . As seen in  FIG. 13 , the pressure feet  53  are now at the top of extension header  52  and not at the top of basic panel  50 . However, in the top channel track  32  of panel  50 , the threaded hole  54  is used to receive junction bolt  55  to secure extension panel  52  to basic panel  50 . There is a plurality of bolts  55  laterally spaced along the top of panel  50  from side-to-side. 
         [0063]    Between panels  50  and  52  is a horizontal I-beam  56  which defines opposite upper and lower channel-shape tracks to receive adjacent edges of said panels. After such junction of panels, battens  57  are clipped on to cover and hide the junction. 
         [0064]    The top part of header panel  52  has the previously described pressure feet, later covered by front and rear crown moldings  18 C and  18 D.  FIG. 12  shows the engagement of the side-to-side edge of panel  50  with door frame  16 . 
         [0065]      FIGS. 14 ,  15 ,  15 A and  16  show the construction of the new wall to form a corner  60  with a right angle panel arrangement. The new corner  60  includes a corner column  61 , seen in  FIGS. 15 and 15A , as a unitary molded element defining vertical channels  62  to receive side edges of panels  63  in the usual manner as described earlier. There are additional vertical ribs  64  molded contiguously with column  61  and serving as batten clips to engage and removably hold vertical inner cosmetic molding  65  and outer cosmetic molding  66 .  FIG. 16 , as a section taken in  FIG. 15 , shows biscuit  67  between panel  63  and column  61 . 
         [0066]      FIGS. 17 and 18  correspond generally to  FIGS. 1 ,  6 , and  9  illustrating a second embodiment of biscuit  70  which has tapered resilient flanges  71 A and  71 B on each side. In these figures, there is slotted I-beam  72 , slotted outer stud  73  of panel  74 , and slotted outer stud  75  of panel  76 . During assembly, biscuit  70  is pushed in the leftward direction through the slot in stud  73 , through slot  78  in I-beam  72  and through slot  79  in stud  75 . Flange  71 A is resiliently deflected in order for biscuit  70  to pass through slots  78  and  79 . Then flange  71 A bars further lateral movement of biscuit  70  to the left and flange  71 B bars lateral movement of biscuit  70  to the right. 
         [0067]    The components and materials used in this new temporary wall partition system may vary from the many commercially available products. Preferred materials include PVC for the battens (moldings), PVC for the ceiling and floor tracks, PVC for the crown and base moldings, PVC for the discs of pressure feet, PVC for the stabilizing 1⅝″ thick biscuits  26  between prefabricated panels  14 ,  15  for vertical stability and 1⅝″ thick aluminum for biscuits  37  between adjacent ends of channel tracks at the ceiling and floor. 
         [0068]    While the invention has been described in conjunction with several embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4