US2717033A - Folding flexible partition - Google Patents

Description

SePt- 6, 1955 D. M BRESLOW ET A1. 2,717,033

FOLDING FLEXIBLE PARTITION Filed Feb. 11, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 A l M/WM IN1/:M7095:

/0 45 DON/up M. BQKSLOW Eye OPM/vn 5c/155mm sept. 6, 1955 Filed Feb. 1].-I 1950 D. M. BRI-:SLOW ET AL 2,717,033

FOLDING FLEXIBLE PARTITION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/vL/E/s/Tops: 50m/44.0 M. BAPESLOW OPL/mw 5. 50mm/@Lp E Ml United States Patent() FOLDING FLEXIBLE PARTITION Donald M. Breslow, Beverly Hills, and Orland S. Schesvold, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Donald M. Breslow, Los Angeles, Calif., doing business as The Curtition Co.

Application February 11, 1950, Serial No. 143,714

Claims. (Cl. 160--84) This invention relates to improvements in partitions and, more particularly, to partitions ofthe character including an internal extensible-retractable frame and sides composed of flexible material.

Partitions of the character with which our invention is concerned generally include an internal frame which is movable between a first, retracted position and a plurality of intermediate positions. to a second, extended position, said frame having attached on opposite sides thereof exible sides of material which substantially follow the configuration of the frame as it is extended and retracted. They are generally used to separate one room from another or to divide a room into a plurality of areas. In conventional partitions of the aforementioned character, the material comprising the flexible sides thereof is so secured to the frame that the opening and closing of the partition cause the sides to be subjected to excessive wear resulting in the ultimate cracking and fraying of the material at critical wear points. This excessive wear is a result of attaching the sides of the partition to the frame at a plurality of points between the top and bottom of the frame.

It is, therefore, a primary object of our invention to provide a partition of the aforementioned character in which only the upper and lower edges of the flexible sides of the partition are secured to the frame and in which, consequently, the intermediate portions of the flexible sides are free from attachment to the frame. As a result of this method of attachment, the flexible sides of the partition are not so intimately and tightly connected to the frame that the opening and closing of the partition cause cracking and wear of the flexible sides. In addition, a very pleasing appearance results from the free fall of the flexible material of the sides between the top and bottom of the frame.

An additional object of our invention, is the provision of a partition of the aforementioned type in which the upper and lower edges of the flexible sides thereof are not directly attached to the top and bottom of the frame but are secured to intermediate supporting members which are positioned over the top and bottom of the frame and which permit the intermediate portions of the sides of the partition between the top and bottom edges thereof to be free of any connection to the frame itself.

An additional object of our invention is the provision in a partition of the aforementioned type of supporting means for the flexible sides of the partition which are constituted by saddles positioned over the top and bottom of the frame of the partition to permit the top and bottom edges of the llexible sides of the partition to be secured thereto.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a frame for a partition of the aforementioned type which includes a top frame member and a bottom frame member, said top and bottom frame members being constituted by a plurality of hinge leaves which are joined to each other by hinge pintles and which are so formed that the maximum angle included therebetween when said partition is in its second, extended position is approximately ninety degrees An additional object of our invention is the provision of a partition of the aforementioned type in which each of said hinge means of said top and bottom frame members has disposed thereupon one of the supporting saddles for the sides of said partition.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a partition conv structed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, partly sectional view taken on the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional View taken on the broken line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, partly sectional view taken from the broken line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of the hinge construction of the top and bottom frame members;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing the appearance of the partition in its second, extended position;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view showing the appearance of the partition in its first, retracted position; and

Figs. 8 through 12 are end elevational views showing the method by which the component parts of the partition are assembled.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. l thereof, we show a partition 10 which is disposed in an opening 11 between two rooms and which is adapted to be positioned in a first, retracted position, as indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings, and a second, extended position, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The partition 10 includes an interior frame 13 consisting of an upper frame member 14 and a lower frame member 15. The upper and lower frame members 14 and 15 are identical in configuration and are constituted by a plurality of hinge leaves 16 pivotally joined to each other at their ends by pintles 17. When the partition 10 is in the second, extended position adjoining hinge leaves include an angle of approximately 90 as indicated by the line A of Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Formed upon the ends of the hinge leaves 16 and being adapted to intermesh with each other for the reception of the pintles 17 are hinge ears 18. Adjacent hinge ears 18 of the leaves 16 are provided with contiguous stop portions 19 and 20, Fig. 5, which coact to limit the extension of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15 beyond a point where the included angle between the hinge leaves 16 would be greater or less than approximately 90. Of course, though we show the partition 10 as having upper and lower frame members 14 and 15, the component leaves of which are prevented from opening beyond a point at which they include an angle of approximately 90, it is possible to modify the dimensions of the stop portions 19 and 20 of the hinge ears 18 to permit the extension of the partition 10 in such a manner that the included angle between the hinge leaves 16 will be much greater or smaller than 90.

Positioned between and having their opposite ends connected to oppositely disposed hinge leaves 16 of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15 are vertical stiffeners 22 and 23 which are secured to the hinge leaves 16 by means of rivets 24, or similar fasteners. The stiffeners 22 and 23 serve to equalize the movement of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15 in reference to each other by transmitting the movement of the hinge leaves 16 thereof from one to the other.

The innermost of the hinge leaves 16 of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15 have their ears 18 secured to anchor plates 26 by pintles 17, said anchor plates Patented Sept. 6, 1955v 26 being mounted on the jamb 27 of the opening by means of screws 23 or similar fasteners.

A groove 30 is formed in the lintel 31 of the opening 11 and is adapted to receive an elongated mounting bracket 33 having a longitudinal T-slot 34 formed therein. A track member 35 has provided thereupon a longitudinal T-shaped projection 36 receivable in the T-slot 34 for permitting the mounting of the track member 35 in the mounting bracket 33. The track member 35 provides laterally spaced tracks 37 and 33 which are engageable by pairs of rollers 39 and dit. Each pair of rollers 39 and 4t) is journaled upon the opposite ends of a yoke 41 upon which is suspended a link 412, said linke d2 passing through an opening 43 formed in the upper edge of each alternate hinge leaf 16. ln the present embodiment of our invention, only alternate hinge leaves 16 of the upper frame member 14 are supported upon the tracks 37 and 3S by the rollers 39 and 43.

Attached to the ends of the outermost hinge leaves 16 of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15 are the upper and lower extremities of a post d5 upon which are mounted pulls 46 adapted to permit the partition 10 to be moved from its first, retracted position to its second, extended position. The post i5 may be of any desired configuration but, in the present instance, includes a member i3 havin(y a substantially H-shaped cross section and a mounting flange 59 engageable by pintles 1'7 secured in the hinge ears 18 at the end of the leaves 16. Therefore, by grasping the pulls 46, the partition 1t) can be extended or retracted by causing the concomitant extension or retraction of the top and bottom frame members 1d and 15 while the top frame member, as supported by the rollers 3S and di! upon the track member 35, is carried smoothly thereupon.

Disposed upon one side of the frame 13 is a first side or web 5t) formed of flexible material, such as a vinyl coated fabric, and disposed upon the opposite side of the frame 13 is a second side or web 52 formed of a flexible material similar to that from which the first web Sti is formed.

Disposed upon each one of the hinge leaves 16 constituting the top and bottom frame members 1d and 15 are web supporting means 54. The web supporting means 54 are constituted by individual saddles 55 which are made of fabric, or similar material, and which are so disposed upon the leaves 16 that, in the case of the leaves 16 which constitute the upper frame member 14, the legs 57 and 58 of the saddles 55 depend upon opposite sides of the hinge leaves, and in the case of the saddles 55 which are disposed about the hinge leaves 16 constituting the bottom frame member 15, legs 57 and 58 extend upwardly on opposite sides of said leaves. Those saddles 55 which are supported upon the hinge leaves 16 of the upper frame member 14 have openings 59 formed therein, as best seen in Fig. 4 of the drawing, to permit the saddles 55 to be mounted around the links 42 and to facilitate the free movement of said links.

As best seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the upper and lower edges of the iirst web Si) are secured to the depending and upwardly extending legs 57 of the saddles 55 on one side of the hinge leaves 16 of the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15. Although We have found that the most effective means of securing the upper and lower edges of the web Sii to the legs 57 of the saddles 55 is by gluing said edges to said legs, any other means of securing said edges may be utilized. In like manner, the upper and lower edges of the second web 52 are secured to the legs 3S of the saddles 55 on the top and bottom frame members 14 and 15.

Therefore, the saddles 55 provide the sole means of securing the first and second webs 50 and 52 on opposite sides of the frame 13 and the intermediate portions of the webs 50 and 52 between the upper and lower edges thereof are free from attachment to the frame 13. This manner of attachment of the webs 50 and 52 prevents undue wear occurring in the webs 50 and 52 because of the crushing or abrasion of the fabric of the webs between the component parts of the frame 13 and also is responsible for the attractive manner in which the fabric of the webs 56 and 52 is draped upon the frame 13. It should be noted that the stiifeners 22 and 23 prevent the billowing of the fabric of the webs 50 and 52 as the partition 10 is moved between its first, retracted and second, extended positions and also serve to support the fabric of the webs 5t) and 52 when any undue lateral loads are imposed upon the partition to prevent the inadvertent tearing thereof.

Referring to Figs. 8 to l2, in the assembly of the component parts of the partition, we utilize a substantially rigid form 64) which is provided with a plurality of corrugations 62 and whose over-all configuration is identical with that of the configuration of the partition 16 when the partition 1li is in its second, extended position. As the first step in our method of assembly, we dispose the first web 50 upon the upper surface of the form 60. Since the iirst web 50 is formed of a plurality of widths 64 of fabric, seams 65 are present in the web 50 which it is desirable to conceal as much as possible in order to prevent them from impairing the appearance of the partition. As best seen in Fig. 9 of the drawings, the seam 65 between the width 64 of the first web 50 are disposed at the apices of the corrugation 62 of the form 629. The web supporting means 54, as constituted by the saddles 55, are then positioned upon the upper and lower edges of the web Sti and the legs 57 thereof are glued, or otherwise secured to the upper and lower edges of the web.

The frame 13 is then disposed upon the inside of the web Sti in its second, extended position and the apices of the corrugations of the frame 13 are brought into registry with the apices of the corrugations 62 of the form 66. As may be best seen from Fig. 1l, this manner of assembling the frame 13 upon the form 60 and over the first web 50 insures the proper distribution of the web 5t? in reference to the frame 13 and prevents an under sized or over sized web 50 from being applied to the frame 13.

The second web 52 is then laid upon the frame 13, the saddles 55 are folded over the top and bottom of the frame and the legs 58 thereof are secured to the upper and lower edges of the second web 52. As may be best seen from Fig. l2 of the drawings, the second web 52 consists of a plurality of widths 67 which are joined to each other by means of seams 68. For the aforementioned reasons, it is desirable to render the seams as inconspicuous as possible and for this reason the seams 68 are disposed in the bottoms of the corrugations on the side of the frame 13 on which the web 52 is supported. When the web S2 is axed to the saddles 55, the assembly of the partition is complete and the seams 65 and 68 of the webs S0 and 52, respectively, lie in the bottoms of the corrugations on opposite sides of the frame 13.

Although we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of our invention and the method by which it can be manufactured, it is obvious that changes, alterations and modifications may be made in the details of construction and the steps of the method and we, therefore, do not desire to be limited to the specific details but prefer, rather, to be afforded the full scope of the following claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A closure for dividing a room into a plurality of areas, comprising: a horizontal track secured adjacent the ceiling of said room; roller means engaging said track; an expansible-retractable frame supported on said 'roller means, said frame comprising an upper frame member having a plurality of hinge leaves and a lower frame member having an equal number of hinge leaves, each of said hinge leaves having stop means to limit the opening movement of said hinge leaves to substantially said hinge leaves when opened comprising a plurality of corrugations; a plurality of stitfeners attached to and extending between the correspondingly positioned hinge leaves of said frame members; a web-supporting means comprising a U-shaped saddle having a pair of legs extending on the opposite sides of each of said hinge leaves; and a pair of webs attached at the opposite ends thereof to said saddle legs on opposite sides of said frame, said webs being free from attachment intermediate their attachment to said saddle legs; a plurality of said hinge leaves being attached to said roller means for horizontal movement of said closure along said track.

2. A closure as defined in claim l in which said webs comprise a plurality of widths of material joined edgeto-edge, with the joining seams thereof disposed adjacent the pintles of said hinge leaves and within the 90 opening thereof.

3. A closure for dividing a room into a plurality of areas, comprising: a horizontal track secured adjacent the ceiling of said room; roller means engaging said track; an expansible-retractable frame supported on said roller means, said frame comprising an upper frame member having a plurality of hinge leaves and a lower frame member having an equal number of hinge leaves, each of said hinge leaves having stop means to limit the opening movement of said hinge leaves to substantially 90, said hinge leaves when opened comprising a plurality of corrugations; a web-supporting means comprising a U-shaped saddle having a pair of legs extending on the opposite sides of each of said hinge leaves; and a pair of webs attached at the opposite ends thereof to said saddle legs on opposite sides of said frame, said webs being free from attachment intermediate their attachment to said saddle legs, a plurality of said hinge leaves being attached to said roller means for horizontal movement of said closure along said track.

4. A closure for dividing a room into a plurality of areas, comprising: a horizontal track secured adjacent the ceiling of said room; roller means engaging said track; an expansible-retractable frame supported on said roller means, said frame comprising an upper frame member having a plurality of hinge leaves and a lower frame member having an equal number of hinge leaves; stop means for limiting the opening movement of said hinge Yleaves to substantially said hinge leaves when opened comprising a plurality of corrugations; a web-supporting means comprising a U-shaped saddle having a pair or legs extending on the opposite sides of each of said hinge leaves; and a pair of webs attached at the opposite ends thereof to said saddle legs on opposite sides of said frame, said webs being free from attachment intermediate their attachment to said saddle legs, a plurality of said hinge leaves being attached to said roller means for horizontal movement of said closure along said track.

5. A closure for dividing a room into a plurality of areas, comprising: a horizontal track secured adjacent the ceiling of said room; roller means engaging said track; an expansible-retractable frame supported on said roller means, said frame comprising an upper frame member having a plurality of hinge leaves and a lower frame member having an equal number of hinge leaves; stop means for limiting the opening movement of said hinge leaves so that said hinge leaves when opened comprise a plurality of corrugations; a web-supporting means comprising a U-shaped saddle having a pair of legs extending on the opposite sides of each of said hinge leaves; and a pair of webs attached at the opposite ends thereof to said saddle legs on-opposite sides of said frame, said webs being free from attachment intermediate their attachment to said saddle legs, a plurality of said hinge leaves being attached to said roller means for horizontal movement of said closure along said track.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,698,996 Nordell Jan. 15, 1929 1,877,829 Erlinder Sept. 20, 1932 1,877,950 Nordell Sept. 20, 1932 1,907,021 Vansant May 2, 1933 2,126,834 Steinberger Aug. 16, 1938 2,220,939 McGuire et al Nov. 12, 1940 2,318,497 Kassel May 4, 1943 2,321,491 Keys et al. June 8, 1943 2,388,061 Isserstedt Oct. 30, 1945 2,528,829 Hintersteiner Nov. 7, 1950

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