Construction kit consisting of wall elements and connectors to be inserted therebetween in order to erect room dividers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976301-B2
Application number	US-201314437949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2012
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The construction kit consisting of wall elements and connectors to be inserted therebetween is designed in order to erect room dividers. The wall elements are produced by compressing fiber material and have at least one connecting flank which is systematically provided with contours. The connectors are designed as a profiled rail on which there is at least one connection which has systematically arranged mating contours. The contours on the wall elements can be brought into form-fitting engagement with the mating contours on the connectors. The fiber material used for producing the wall elements is a compressed polyester nonwoven fabric or a mixture of natural and synthetic fibers. The connector is an extruded profile, preferably made of aluminum. The construction kit essentially comprises rectilinear wall elements, differently curved wall elements and a three-winged wall element with three connecting flanks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A construction kit comprising wall elements and connectors to be inserted therebetween in order to erect room dividers, wherein
a) the wall elements are produced by compressing fiber material whereby the wall elements consist exclusively of compressed fiber material, which is a compressed polyester nonwoven fabric or a mixture of natural and synthetic fibers, and have at least one connecting flank including contours;
b) the connectors are profiled rails on which there is at least one connection including mating contours;
c) the contours on the wall elements can be brought into form-fitting engagement with the mating contours on the connectors;
d) fixable adapters which serve for bearing supporting surfaces and/or seats are provided on the connectors; and
e) supports which are placed in front of the wall elements from which the room divider can be erected, wherein the individual support has:
1) a profiled tube section with a rear side and a front side that are connected to each other by a central web;
2) a double-row slot grid on the rear side, wherein in each case two slots of a pair are located at the same height;
3) in the central web a screw channel which runs through the support, and can be used for fastening a floor assembly; and wherein
4) a floor assembly comprises a floor element which can be leveled in height on a bolt, and a cuboidal joining part which is placed onto the lower end of the support, wherein a threaded part of the bolt is determined for engaging in the screw channel.

2. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connector is an extruded profile.

3. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein
a) in one of the wall elements which are to be installed within a room divider, all vertical outer edges are the connecting flanks with the contours, wherein an inner wall extends between the connecting flanks; and
b) a separate type of the wall elements is determined for the outer termination on room dividers, said termination being formed only on an outer edge as the connecting flank with the contours, wherein the connecting flank is adjoined by a wing section with a lateral free end.

4. The construction kit as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the fiber material used can be penetrated by dye.

5. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 wherein
a) the contours on the connecting flanks of the wall elements are arranged congruently on the front side and rear side thereof and are designed as raised webs which run on a vertical line with alternating intermediate spaces; and
b) the connectors each have a connection to the systematic mating contours on two opposite outer edges, wherein
c) the mating contours are designed as raised webs in pairs which run on a vertical line with alternating intermediate spaces and constrict the lateral mouth of a vertical groove;
d) the contours rise from a lip which extends from the connecting flank, and the width of the lip finds space in the mouth gap of the mating contours; and
e) the dimensioning of the contours allows inserting the contours through the intermediate spaces on the connector.

6. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wall elements comprise:
a) a first wall element with a rectilinear extent with respect to the vertical plane;
b) a second wall element with a first curvature with respect to the vertical plane;
c) a third wall element with a second curvature with respect to the vertical plane; and
d) a fourth three-winged wall element with three connecting flanks;
e) wherein the wall elements end with an upper edge.

7. The construction kit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the fourth wall element:
a) consists of three partial elements which are joined to one another, which result from the theoretical vertical bisection of the thickness of the remaining wall elements and end at the top with a partial edge;
b) on each of its three wings thereof, a complete flank with the contours on both sides and a complete inner wall section extending to a center of the fourth wall element; wherein
c) a contoured complete upper edge is formed on the inner wall section and a triangular free space is formed in the center of the fourth wall element.

8. The construction kit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the upper edges on the first to third wall elements and the upper edge joined together from two partial edges on the fourth wall element are produced without a finishing step during the pressing operation.

9. The construction kit as claimed in claim 6 wherein, on the fourth wall element a wing which is formed by the associated connecting flank and an inner wall section continuing therefrom, together with each of adjacent wings forms a first angle of identical size the two adjacent wings together form a second angle different from the first angle.

10. The construction kit as claimed in 1 , wherein
a) the wall elements and the partial element contain reinforcing means acting in particular in the horizontal plane; wherein
b) the reinforcing means are produced by material-densified pressing resulting in grooves running linearly and horizontally over the inner wall or partial inner wall;
c) the reinforcing means on the wall elements are congruent to one another on the front side and on the rear side and are fitted in the same grid as the contours; while
d) the reinforcing means on the partial element are provided only on one side and in the same grid as partial contours.

11. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein with the wall elements and connectors the following can be erected:
a) room dividers which are rectilinear, or are curved once or more than once; and/or
b) individual booths; and/or
c) interconnecting booths; and
d) combinations of room dividers and booths.

12. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
a) one of the adapters consists of a base part with a first hook contour and a separate counterpart with a second hook contour; and
b) in the fitted state, base part and counterpart are connected to each other and the first hook contour and the second hook contour thereof are determined for engaging in an intermediate space on the connector.

13. The construction kit as claimed in claim 12 , wherein
a) one of the adapters is connectable to a bridge strut, and a longitudinal strut can be inserted between two bridge struts, thus producing a framework which serves for bearing supporting surfaces and/or seats;
b) the first hook contour and the second hook contour of an adapter are determined for engaging in the two slots of a pair of slots, which is selected for the desired height, on a slot grid of a support and, in the mounted state, grip therein in the form of claws; and
c) the adapters which are docked on the supports serve for holding supporting surfaces, wherein said supporting surfaces can be used as a working surface and/or as a tray or for the attachment of cupboard units.

14. The construction kit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
a) the adapter is connectable to a bridge strut, and a longitudinal strut can be inserted between two bridge struts, thus producing a framework which serves for bearing supporting surfaces and/or seats;
b) the first hook contour and the second hook contour of an adapter are determined for engaging in the two slots of a pair of slots, which is selected for the desired height, on the slot grid of the support and, in the mounted state, grip therein in the form of claws; and
c) the adapters which are docked on the supports serve for holding supporting surfaces, wherein said supporting surfaces can be used as a working surface and

Assignees

• Vitra Patente Ag

Inventors

• Loffler Jurgen
• Meyer Klaus

Classifications

• E04B2/7437 Primary

  with panels hooked onto posts (E04B2/7438 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47B83/001

  Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems · CPC title

• E04B2002/749

  Partitions with screw-type jacks · CPC title

• F16B5/0036

  and using hook and slot or keyhole-type connections · CPC title

• E04B2002/7461

  Details of connection of sheet panels to frame or posts · CPC title