NZ205439A

NZ205439A - Seal-actuation mechanism for movable wall panels

Info

Publication number: NZ205439A
Application number: NZ205439A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: C F Gerken
Original assignee: American Standard Inc
Priority date: 1983-06-09
Filing date: 1983-08-31
Publication date: 1987-09-30
Also published as: ATE41968T1; NO833112L; EP0128254A2; DE3379548D1; ES282159Y; ES282160Y; ES283006U; EP0128254B1; ES283006Y; CA1212813A; EP0128254A3; AU1853183A; AU554883B2; ZA836452B; ES282159U; ES282160U

Abstract

The wall panel (12) has channel-shaped opposed frame members (26) and at least one spring-biassed seal assembly (31, 32) adapted to move outwardly or inwardly of an edge of the panel. A seal-actuating mechanism (30 min ) includes a rotatable shaft (33) mounted between the opposed frame members with an operator member (36) including pivot lever latch means mounted on each end. At least one tension member (40) has one end coupled to the pivot lever means, and the other end coupled to the edge seal assembly so that when the shaft (33) is rotated the seal assembly is shifted respectively from an extended position to its retracted position. Rotation of the shaft (33) to retract the seal assembly (31, 32) causes the pivot-lever latch means to move into an over-centre, latching condition. The operator members, latch means and tension members are all accommodated in the frame channels and may therefore be installed, replaced or removed without removing the panel facing (24).

Description

Patents Form No. 5 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 ^^^COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "SESF-ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR A WALL PANEL" I,WE AMERICAN STANDARD INC., a Delaware Corporation, of 40 West 40th Street, New York, New York 10018, United States of America, hereby declare the invention, for which ^/we pray that a patent may be granted to me/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement -l- 205439 SEAL-ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR A WALL PANEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a seal-actuating mechanism for operably coupling spring-loaded top, and/or bottom seals of a wall panel and :.n particular, to a seal-actuating mechanism which can be installed or removed or replaced from a wall panel without damaging or removing the finished surfaces therefrom.

Various types of seal assemblies for wall panels, either of. the operable, or demountable types are known, for example, U. S. Patent Nos. 3,073,381, 3,253,552, 3,295,588, 3,327,439, 3,341,992, 3,450,185, 3,755,968, and 4,014,137. All of the seal mechanism for operating shiftable seals shown and described in the foregoing patents are all housed within the panel and can only be installed or removed or replaced by removing the outer panel cover on either side of the panel. In U. S. Patent Nos. 3,327,439 and 3,253,552 seal mechanisms are actuated by a scissor-type mechanism. In U. S. Patent No. 3,073,381, the seal mechanism is operated by mechanical linkages and levers. A window lock mechanism construction has been proposed which utilizes pivot levers for locking the window against any attempt to raise it. A car door latching mechanism has been proposed having a pair of .levers which pivot simultaneously to and away from the header and sill of a door.

-/A- 1* \20Mum?'' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION .543 It is an object of the invention to provide a seal-actuating mechanism which is operatively coupled to a shiftable seal mounted on a panel in which the seal-actuating mechanism can be installed, removed or replaced from the wall panel without destroying or removing the exterior surface of the panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seal-actuating mechanism which utilizes tension activating forces to permit the use of light structural members and obviates 10 the necessity of having heavy duty, rigid type members to resist and overcome compressive and/or buckling forces.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for latching a seal assembly in its retracted position without requiring additional latch forming members.

Another object of the invention is to provide top and bottom seal assemblies coupled to a'common seal-actuating mechanism for shifting each seal assembly simultaneously from a latched, inoperative, retracted position to an unlatched, operative, extended, sealed position. i Another object- of the invention is to provide a seal- actuating mechanism for operably coupling a top, and/or bottom seal assembly which is capable of being operated remotely from said seal-actuating mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seal-25 actuating mechanism which is disengaged from the top and/or 205439 bottom seals when in their extended, unlatched, operative position so that the seal automatically floats to provide a seal by relative up and down motion with respect to the floor or ceiling and the bottom or top edge of the panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seal-actuating mechanism which is light weight, utilizes a minimum number of inexpensive, easy to manufacture, parts, and which is simple and easy to install, replace or repair in a wall panel.

According to the invention a seal-actuating mechanism for operation of a spring-loaded seal assembly of a wall panel is envisaged, said wall panel including a frame having a pair of opposed members and said seal assembly being shiftalple vertically to and away from one side of said wall panel, said seal-actuating mechanism comprising: a shaft mountable to extend between said pair of opposed frame members for rotation therein; each end of said shaft having an operator member mounted thereon, each operator member including a pivot lever means to be housed in a recess in said opposed frame members; and a pair of tension members each of which can be disposed adjacent to one the outer surface of/said frame member of said wall panel, one end of each tension member being coupled to the pivot lever means ——— and the other end being adapted to be coupled to said shiftable seal assembly, said pivot leaver means and said tension members co-operating with said shaft to provide releasable latch means so that when said shaft is rotated, said seal assembly will be shifted, respectively from its retracted, latched position to its extended, unlatched position.

The invention particularly includes a seal-actuating mechanism housed within the cavity of each opposed channel fa ;!' 20543 J ! •' shaped frame members of a wall panel in which the seal- l actuating mechanism can be installed, replaced, or repaired without removing the exterior finished surface of the wall ✓ panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an environmental view in perspective, illustrating one form of a wall panel assembly embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, of an edge of the panel taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the face-operated panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, partly broken away, elevational view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 1'showing the seal-actuating mechanism in its latched position; Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 5 but showing i the seal-actuating mechanism in its unlatched position; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the door panel illustrated in Fig. 1 but with the door removed; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, elevational view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a partially broken away, side elevational view of Fig. 9. 2 054 3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In Fig. 1, an operable wall panel assembly 10 is arranged to form a wall comprising a plurality of panels 12, 14, 16 and 18. Each of the panels 12, 14, 16 and 18 are supported by a pair of trolley assemblies 19 which are connected on the top portion of each panel, with the trolley assembly rotatably mounted on an overhead track 20. The trolley and track assemblies are suitably recessed in the ceiling of the room so as to be hidden from view. When each of the wall panels are in position, the top seal assembly is urged up agaijist the ceiling so as to conceal the trolley and track assembly from view. A similar seal is provided on the bottom of the panel, and when in its extended position seals the floor so that no space can be seen between the floor and the bottom of the panel. Also, in place of an operable wall panel i assembly, a demountable wall panel assembly, not shown,-may be used.

Each panel comprises a frame 22 on which the outer covering or skin 24 is mounted. The frame 22 includes a pair of opposed members 26, which are formed in the shape of a "U" or channel to provide a continuous cavity 27 along the length of opposed frame members 26 in which seal-actuating mechanism 30 is mounted.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a wall panel 14 in which seal-actuating mechanism 30 is mounted at a height that is accessible 205439 to the average person. Seal-actuating mechanism 30 comprises a shaft 33 which extends between opposed frame members 26, and is mounted for rotation thererin on bearing assembly 34. An operator member 36 is mounted on each end of shaft 33 and rotates therewith. Operator member 36 is housed within the cavity 27 of opposed frame members 26, and includes pivot lever means 3 8 for coupling one end of tension member 4 0 thereto. Operator member 36 as illustrated herein, is in the form of a rectangular metal block and is provided with a bore that is positioned offset with respect to the center axis of rectangular block 36. Rectangular block 36 is mounted on each end of shaft 33 in offset bore 37. Pivot lever means 38 includes a pair of holes 39 disposed along the longitudinal axis of rectangular block 36 with holes 39 disposed equidistance from the center of offset bore 37.

Panel 14 is provided with top and bottom seals 31, 32 which are mounted along the top and bottom edges of panel 14 so that they are shiftable vertically therewith. A pair of spring assemblies 35, shown in Fig. 4, are provided in the panel and are coupled to each seal assembly 31, 32 so that each pair of springs are compressed to spring load the seals in their retracted position.

Tension member 40, which can be in the form of a flexible steel cable or steel wire, has a rigid offset am 42 coupled at one.end. Vhere top and bottom seals are employed, two pair 205439 » of tension members 40 will be required for each panel, that is, a pair is coupled between pivot lever means 38 and one seal assembly, a second pair of tension members 40 is coupled to pivot lever means and the other seal assembly as illustrated for panel 12 in Fig. 4.

As indicated above, rectangular block 3 6 includes a pair of equidistance holes or bores 39 to provide pivot bearings for offset arms 42 that are rotatably mounted therein. When seals 31, 32 are in their fully retracted position, offset arms 42 are rotated radially with respect to shaft 33 so that offset arms are positioned in pivot bearings 39 of rectangular block 36 and when rotated past the vertical axis of frame member 26 cooperate with shaft 33 to provide releasable latch means that hold seals 31, 32 in their fully retracted position. Latching of the seals 31, 32 is accomplished by rotating rectangular block 36 to a point where pivot bearings 39 are i rotated past the vertical axis of opposed frame members 26, and are unlatched by rotating rectangular block 36 clockwise, spring-loaded seals 31, 32 will be urged vertically outwardly from panel 12. Tension members 40 hold seals 31, 32 as they shift outwardly until shaft 33 has been rotated approxinately 180° as in Fig. 2, so that the off center end portion 38 of rectangular block 36 will contact stop block 41. The seals because they are spring loaded are urged against the respective surfaces, that is, ceiling and/or floor and since they are 205439 | J i j free to float, each seal will mate against the floor or ceiling even though there is a lack of parallelism with respect to the bottom or top edge of the panel and the plane of the floor or ceiling. When tension members 40 are in their extended position, as in Fig.. 5, tension members 40 continue to shift vertically so that stop means, for example nut 44, releases seals 31, 32 so no further force is exerted by tension member 40 to restrain seals 31, 32 and they are free to float.

In Figs. 4, 5f 6 and 7, seal-actuating mechanism 30' is pulley shaped, and shown in detail mounted in panel 12 of Fig. 1. Panel 12 illustrates an operable wall panel which is movably mounted on an overhead track 20 and trolley assembly 19. Also, seal-actuating mechanism 30' is mounted in the upper half of the panel, however, its operating means is mounted in the panel at a convenient height for an average person to operate.

The operating means is in the form of a pulley assembly 50 j which is positioned in spaced apart relation to seal-actuating j mechanism 30' and is mounted in channel or cavity 27 of an ' I opposed frame member 26. Pulley assembly 50 includes a pulley 51 rigidly mounted on axle 52. Axle 52 is mounted on ! bearing 53 in opposed frame member 26 for rotation therein.

On the opposed ends of axle 52 there is provided a crank handle receiving slot 54 which is conveniently accessible from either of the faces of panel 12 through crank openings 56 through which crank 57 is inserted to rotate pulley assembly 50. A cable 55 !| 205439 j;is mounted around pulley 51, the ends 58 of which are mounted i on opposed sides of operator member 36'. As illustrated in Fig. 5, seal-actuating mechanism 30.' is in its latched position and offset arms 42 are positioned so that they nest around shaft 33 with pivot bearings 39 of pivot lever means 38* rotated past the vertical axis of opposed frame member 26. Fig. 6 illustrates seal-actuating mechanism 30* in its unlatched position, that is, with offset arms 42 rotated approximately 180° from that illustrated in Fig. 5 so that pivot bearings 39 lie substantially along the vertical axis of frame 26.

When tension members 40 are in their unlatched position their other ends 45 are released from seals 31 or 32 as discussed above in Fig. 3 and in this position, tension members 40 release seals 31, 32 so that they are free to float that is, spring assemblies 35 urge seals 31, 32 outwardly to seek sealing contact with either the* floor and/or ceiling regardless of the parallelism that exists between the bottom or top edges of the panel with respect to the planes of floor or ceiling.

As indicated above, seal-actuating mechanism 30'is identical in operation as discussed in Figs. 2 and 3. In Figs. 2 and 3, crank handle receiving slot 54 is formed on the face of operator member 36, however, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 through 7, the crank handle receiving slot 54 is i formed in the ends of pulley axle 52 of pulley assembly 50. In both embodiments, only the location for rotating seal-actuating mechanism is changed.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10, seal-actuating mechanism 30' is pulley shaped and is shown in detail mounted in panel 16 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 8, panel 16 illustrates an operable wall panel having a pass door, not shown, which is movably mounted on an overhead track 20 and trolley assembly 19. Also, seal-actuating mechanism 30' is mounted in the upper half of the panel, above the header for the door frame, its operating means is mounted along a vertical edge of the panel at a convenient height for an average person to operate. The operating means is in the form of a pulley assembly 50 which is positioned in spaced apart relation to seal-actuating mechanism 30' and is mounted in channel or cavity 27 of an opposed frame member 26. Pulley assembly 50 includes a "pulley 51 j rigidly mounted on axle 52. Axle 52 is mounted on bearing 53 in opposed frame member 2 6 for rotation therein. On the outer end of axle 52 there is provided a crank handle receiving slot 54 which is conveniently accessible through an opening in the vertical edge, the astragal, not shown, through which crank 57 is inserted to rotate pulley assembly 50. A cable 55 is mounted around pulley 51, the ends 58 of which are mounted on opposed sides of operator member 36'. As illustrated in Fig. 9, seal-actuating mechanism 30' is in its latched 205439 , i Position and offset arms 42 are positioned so that they • nest around shaft 33 with pivot bearings 39 of pivot lever means 38 rotated past the vertical axis of opposed frame member 26. Fig. 8 illustrates seal-actuating mechanism 30* in its unlatched position, that is with offset arms 42 rotated approximately 180® from that illustrated in Fig. 9. so that pivot bearings 39 lie substantially along the vertical axis of frame 26.

When tension members 40 are in their unlatched position their other ends 45 are released from seals 31 or 32 as discussed above in Fig. 3 and in this position,tension members 4 0 release seals 31, 32 so that they are free to float that is, spring assemblies 35 urge seals 31, 32 outwardly to seek sealing contact with either the floor and/or ceiling regardless of the parallelism that 'exists between the bottom or top edges of the panel with respect to the planes of floor or ceiling. Seal 32 in Fig. 8 is shown mounted on either side of the door opening. Spring assemblies 35 spring load each section of seal 32. Tension member 4 0 at its lower end section is formed with an offset 59 which passes through opening 60 of frame 26. End 45 of tension member 40 is attached to seal 32 as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 so that seal 32 as shown in Fig. B. floats.

As indicated above, seal-actuating mechanism 30" is identical in operation as discussed in Figs. 2 and 3. In 205439 Figs. 2 and 3 crank handle receiving slot 54 is formed on the face of operator member 36, however, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 8 through 10, the crank handle receiving slot 54 | is formed in the outer ends of pulley axle 52 of pulley assembly 50.

Claims

WHAT WE CjLAIM IS.: 205439 1. A seal-actuating mechanism for operation of a spring loaded seal assembly of a wall panel, said wall panel including a frame having a pair of opposed members and said seal assembly being shiftable vertically to and away from one side of said wall panel, said seal-actuating mechanism comprising: a shaft mountable to extend between said pair of opposed frame members for rotation therein; each end of said shaft having an operator member mounted thereon, each operator member including a pivot lever means to be housed in a recess in said opposed frame members; and a pair of tension members each of which can be disposed adajacent to one the ouber surface of/said frame member of said wall panel, one end of each tension member being coupled to the pivot lever means and the other end being adapted to be coupled to said shiftable seal assembly, said pivot lever means and said tension members cooperating with said shaft to provide releasable latch means so that when said shaft is rotated, said seal assembly will be shifted, respectively from its retracted, latched position to its extended, unlatched position.
2. A seal-actuating mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein each pivot lever means includes at least one opening to provide a pivot bearing for shifting said tension member, each tension member including an offset arm formed at one end thereof, said arm being mounted in said bearing of said pivot lever means so that when said seal-assembly is in its retracted inoperative position, said pivot lever means and f ,/-v 11 said offset arm cooperate with said shaft to provide releasable latch means.
3. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 1 wherein eaoh operator member includes rotation means for releasably latching said seal assembly so that when rotated said seal assembly will be shifted respectively from its retracted, latched position to its extended, unlatched position.
4. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 3 in which each rotation means includes a pulley assembly mountable in said panel and able to be positioned in spaced relation apart to said operator member, a cable coupling said pulley assembly and said operator member so that when said pulley is rotated said operator member is rotated to shift said seal assembly respectively, from its inoperative, latched position to its operative, unlatched position.
5. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 3 wherein at least one rotation means includes a recess formed in said operator member for releasably coupling a handle therein to rotate said shaft.
6. A seal-actuating mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each operator member includes a pair of radially disposed pivot bearings in which a pair of said tension members are rotatably coupled.
7. A seal-actuating mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 for operation of top and bottom spring-loaded seal assemblies of a wall panel, said seal assemblies being respectively shiftable vertically to and away from said top and bottom of said panel; and which includes'a pair of tension members to be disposed in each recess of said frame members of said wall panel, one end of each pair of tension members respectively being coupled to its respective pivot lever means, and the other end thereof being adapted to be coupled to said shiftable top and bottom seal assemblies, said pivot lever means and said tension members cooperating with said shaft to provide releasable latch means so that when said shaft is rotated, 205439 respectively from their retracted, latched position to their extended, unlatched position.
8. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 7 wherein each of said pivot lever means includes a pair of diametrically opposed openings which provide pivot bearings for rotating said one end of said tension members, said one end of said tension members including an offset arm which is mounted in said respective pivot bearing of said pivot lever means so that when said seal assembly is in its retracted inoperative position, said pivot lever means and said offset arm cooperate with said shaft to provide releasable latch means.
9. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 7 wherein each of said operator members of said seal-actuating mechanism includes rotation means for releasably latching said seal assemblies so that when rotated, each of said seal assemblies is shifted respectively from the retracted latched position to the extended unlatched position.
10. A seal-actuating mechanism according to claim 9 in which each rotation means includes a pulley assembly for nounting in said panel and able to be positioned in spaced-apart relation to each of said operator members, a cable coupling each of said pulley assemblies and each of said operator members so that when said pulleys are rotated, each operator member is rotated to shift said top and. bottom seal assemblies respectively, from their inoperative, latched position to their operative, unlatched position. A p- ' r o\ i: - 15 - 11 2 6 AUG 1987^1 205439 11 . A wall panel comprising: a frame including a pair of opposed spaced-apart, channel-shaped members; a spring-loaded, seal assembly operably mounted on said frame and positioned at one end of said opposed frame members and being operably coupled to a seal-actuating mechanism; said seal assembly being shiftable vertically to and away from one side of said panel; said seal-actuating mechanism including a rotatably mounted shaft extending between said pair of opposed frame members; each end of said shaft having an operator member mounted thereon, each operator member having a pivot lever means and being respectively mounted on said shaft and disposed within the channel of each opposed frame member; and a pair of tension members disposed in said wall panel, one end of each tension member being coupled to its respective pivot lever means, and the other ends coupled to said^ shiftable seal assembly, said pivot lever means and said tension members cooperating with said shaft to provide releasable latch means so that when/shaft is rotated, said seal assembly is shifted, respectively from its retracted, latched position to its extended unlatched position. 12- The wall panel according to claim 11 wherein said spring-loaded seal assembly includes a pair of spaced-apart, opposed spring-loaded seal assemblies operably mounted on said frame and disposed at opposite ends of said opposed said frame members, each seal assembly said pivot lever means, by a pair P 26AUGI9871 - 16 205433 13 • The wall panel according to claim H wherein each pivot lever means includes at least one opening to provide a pivot bearing to rotate said tension member, each tension member including an offset arm formed at one end thereof, said arm being mounted in said bearing of said pivot lever means so that when said seal assembly is in its retracted, inoperative position, said pivot lever means and said offset arm cooperate with said shaft to provide releasable latch means. 14 . The wall panel according to claim 1.1 wherein each operator member includes rotation means for releasably latching said seal assembly so that when rotated said seal assembly is shifted respectively from its retracted, latched position to its extended, unlatched position. 15 . The wall panel according to claim 14/which/includes a pulley assembly mounted in said panel and being positioned in spaced apart relation to each operator member, a cable coupling said pulley assembly and each operator member so that when said pulley is rotated each operator member is rotated to shift said seal assembly respectively, from its inoperative, latched position to its operative, unlatched position. # 16 • The wall panel according to claim 11 wherein said'opposed channel-shaped frame members provide a recess extending longitudinally along each vertical edge of said panel, said seal-actuating mechanism being mounted within the recess of each opposed frame member so that it can be be installed, replaced or repaired without removing the exterior finished surfaces of said wall panel. 17,. The wall panel according to claim 11 wherein/seal assembly m each rotation means the said pass door assembly includes a door frame having a hinge jamb and strike jamb members and a header which is 17 205439 horizontally positioned between said hinge and strike jamb members and a pass door hingedly mounted to said hinge jamb member; and wherein the seal assembly comprises / spaced-apart bottom seal assemblies operatively mounted along the lower end of said panel and positioned between the hinge jamb member and a vertical edge of the wall panel and the strike jamb and the other vertical edge of the panel respectively; and each bottom seal assembly being operatively coupled to the one of respective other end of/said tension members so that when said shaft is rotated, each spaced-apart bottom seal assembly is shifted, respectively, from its retracted, latched position to extended, unlatched position. 19. A seal-actuating mechanism for operation of a spring-loaded seal assembly of a wall panel, arranged, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 20- A wall panel incorporating a seal-actuating mechanism as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-10 and 19. AMERICAN STANDARD INC - 18 -