Mullion

Abstract

To provide a mullion with excellent workability. [Solution] A mullion 3 erected between an upper member 5 and a lower member 4, comprising a mullion body 30 fixed at the lower side and a mullion cover 31 fixed to the upper end of the mullion body 30, wherein the mullion cover 31 has cover portions 31B and 31C that overlap with the mullion body 30 in the depth direction on both sides in the depth direction, and the cover portions 31B and 31C are slidable in the vertical direction while overlapping with the mullion body 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vertical post erected between an upper member and a lower member.

Background Art

[0002] Since the vertical post is disposed between an upper member such as a ceiling and a lower member such as a floor, it is formed shorter than the distance between the upper member and the lower member and erected on the lower member. Therefore, in a state where the vertical post is installed, a gap may occur between the upper end of the vertical post and the upper member. For this reason, for example, in Patent Document 1, the upper end portion of the vertical frame member is inserted from below into a vertical frame member support (vertical post) fixed to the ceiling and having a cap shape, and fixed to a floor-side fixture provided on the floor surface, thereby erecting the vertical frame member on the floor surface, and the gap between the upper end of the vertical frame member and the ceiling is covered by a vertical frame member outer fitting piece provided on the vertical frame member support.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the conventional vertical frame member support has a structure in which the lower end is fixed to a floor-side fixture provided on the floor surface and the upper end is inserted into a vertical frame member support fixed to the ceiling, if the position of the vertical frame member support is not vertically above the floor-side fixture, the vertical frame member support may tilt or may not be attached. Further, if the vertical frame member support tilts or cannot be attached, the floor-side fixture or the vertical frame member support must be removed and reinstalled. For this reason, the floor-side fixture and the vertical frame member support must be positioned and attached more accurately, and there is a problem that the workability is poor.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the aforementioned conventional problems, and its objective is to provide a mullion with excellent workability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The main invention for achieving this objective is a mullion erected between an upper member and a lower member, comprising a mullion body fixed at the lower side and a mullion cover fixed to the upper end of the mullion body, wherein the mullion cover has cover portions that overlap with the mullion body in the depth direction on both sides in the depth direction, and the cover portions are slidable in the vertical direction while overlapping with the mullion body. Other features of the present invention will be made clearer by description in this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mullion with excellent workability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows a mullion installed between side-by-side doors and windows in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the main body of the mullion. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the mullion cover. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the mullion cover temporarily fixed to the mullion body. [Figure 6] Figure 6A is a view of the fixing bracket from the first joinery side, Figure 6B is a view from arrow B in Figure 6A, and Figure 6C is a view from arrow C in Figure 6A. [Figure 7] Figure 7A shows the main body of the mullion positioned in accordance with the fixed mounting brackets, and Figure 7B is a view taken along arrow D in Figure 7A. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the upper window frame positioned by the mullion cover. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment of the building component of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of a mullion according to the present invention, a mullion installed between two side-by-side building components will be described.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mullion 3 of this embodiment is provided between the first joinery 1 for an interior window, which is located on the left side, and the second joinery 2, which is located on the right side and has a door that can be opened and closed. The first joinery 1 and the second joinery 2 are connected by the mullion 3. The first joinery 1, the second joinery 2, and the mullion 3 are provided between the floor 4, which is the lower member, and the hanging wall 5, which is the upper member.

[0011] The first joinery 1 comprises a rectangular window frame 10, vertical members 11 and three horizontal members 12 that divide the inside of the window frame 10 into eight sections, hinged sliding doors 13 that can be opened and closed and placed in the two upper sections of the eight sections, and facing members 14 that are fitted into the six lower sections of the eight sections to form a fixed window. The first joinery 1 has a right vertical window frame 15 located on the right side of the window frame 10 that is fixed to the mullion 3.

[0012] The second joinery 2 comprises a rectangularly framed door frame 20 and a door 21 that is rotatably supported on the door frame 20 so as to open when the leading edge is pulled towards the front. The second joinery 2 has a leading edge frame 22 located on the left side of the door frame 20 that is fixed to the mullion 3. In the following description, as shown in Figure 2, the side on which the door 21 opens in the depth direction which is out of plane of the hanging wall 5 will be referred to as the front side, and the opposite side as the back side.

[0013] The mullion 3 comprises a mullion body 30 and a mullion cover 31 attached to the upper end of the mullion body 30. The mullion body 30 is an extruded aluminum profile, and its length in the longitudinal direction, which is the direction of extrusion, is formed to be shorter than the distance between the floor 4 and the lower surface of the hanging wall 5.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the upright body 30 forms a vertically penetrating upright hollow portion 30A with a substantially rectangular cross-section, and has a left expected surface portion 30B and a right expected surface portion 30C that form expected surfaces facing each other at intervals in the left-right direction, and a rear-side upright wall portion 30D and a front-side upright wall portion 30E that form finding surfaces facing each other at intervals in the expected direction.

[0015] The rear-side upright wall portion 30D and the front-side upright wall portion 30E both extend to the right from the right expected surface portion 30C. On the right expected surface portion 30C, an engaged portion 30F is provided to engage with an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the door end frame 22 with a slight gap from the rear-side upright wall portion 30D. By the engagement of the engaged portion 30F and the engaging portion, the door end frame 22 is positioned with respect to the upright 3.

[0016] On the right expected surface portion 30C, a guide portion 30G for guiding a drill screw for fixing the door end frame 22 to the upright 3 is provided in a groove shape over the entire length in the vertical direction. On the left expected surface portion 30B, a guide portion 30H for guiding a drill screw for fixing the window frame 10 to the upright 3 is provided in a groove shape over the entire length in the vertical direction.

[0017] On the front side of the guide portion 30H of the left expected surface portion 30B, a recess portion 30I into which a seal member (not shown) provided on the right vertical window frame 15 enters when the right vertical window frame 15 is fixed is provided over the entire length in the vertical direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the upright cover 31 faces the upper end small opening of the upright body 30 and has an upper plate portion 31A arranged along the expected direction, a front-side cover portion 31B vertically provided from the front edge of the upper plate portion 31A and facing the front-side upright wall portion 30E of the upright body 30, a rear-side cover portion 31C vertically provided from the rear edge of the upper plate portion 31A and facing the rear-side upright wall portion 30D of the upright body 30, and a fixing portion 31D vertically provided from the left edge of the upper plate portion 31A and fixed to the upright body 30.

[0019] The front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C have, at the left end, i.e., the end on the side where the first fitting 1 is disposed, an opposing wall portion 31E that extends in the prospective direction and faces the left prospective surface portion 30B of the upright body 30. In a state where the upright cover 31 is fixed to the upright body 30, the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C abut or are close to and oppose the front upright wall portion 30E or the rear upright wall portion 30D, and the opposing wall portion 31E extending from the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C abuts or is close to and opposes the left prospective surface portion 30B.

[0020] The edge portions 31F that face each other in the prospective direction in the front and rear opposing wall portions 31E face each other with a gap in the prospective direction, and the gap between the edge portions 31F is formed slightly wider than the width in the prospective direction of the upper window frame 16 that constitutes the window frame 10.

[0021] The fixing portion 31D is plate-shaped and, as shown in FIG. 5, is configured to be disposed in the recessed portion 30I of the upright body 30 when the upper plate portion 31A of the upright cover 31 is placed on the upper end of the upright body 30, the front cover portion 31B faces the front upright wall portion 30E, and the rear cover portion 31C faces the rear upright wall portion 30D. The fixing portion 31D is configured to abut or be close to the recessed prospective wall portion 30J that constitutes the recessed portion 30I when the opposing wall portion 31E abuts or is close to the left prospective surface portion 30B.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing portion 31D is provided with an insertion hole 31G through which a screw 7 for fixing the upright cover 31 to the upright body 30 is inserted. The insertion hole 31G is an elongated hole that is long in the vertical direction. For this reason, the upright cover 31 is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the upright body 30 in a temporarily fixed state where the screw 7 inserted through the insertion hole 31G is temporarily fixed to a screw hole (not shown) of the recessed prospective wall portion 30J, and is fixed to the upright body 30 by tightening the screw 7.

[0023] The mullion 3 is installed with the mullion cover 31 temporarily fixed to the mullion body 30. At this time, with the mullion cover 31 temporarily fixed to the mullion body 30, the distance from the lower end of the mullion body 30 to the upper surface of the upper plate portion 31A of the mullion cover 31 is shorter than the distance between the floor 4 and the lower surface of the hanging wall 5.

[0024] The mullion body 30, with the mullion cover 31 temporarily fixed, is first fixed at its lower end to the floor 4 by a fixing bracket 8. The fixing bracket 8 is a metal plate component bent into an L shape, as shown in Figure 6, for example, and has a floor fixing part 8A that is fixed to the floor 4, and a mullion fixing part 8B that extends from the end of the floor fixing part 8A and to which the mullion 3 is fixed. The floor fixing part 8A and the mullion fixing part 8B are each provided with through holes 8C through which screws for fixing to the floor 4 or the mullion 3 are inserted.

[0025] As shown in Figure 7, the mullion 3 has a floor fixing part 8A fixed to the floor 4, and the mullion fixing part 8B that protrudes upward is positioned in the recess 30I on the lower end side of the mullion 3. The mullion 3 is erected by screwing the mullion fixing part 8B to the recessed wall portion 30J that forms the recess 30I. At this time, there is a gap in the vertical direction between the upper surface of the upper plate portion 31A of the mullion cover 31, which is temporarily fixed to the upper end of the mullion 3, and the lower surface of the hanging wall 5.

[0026] Next, the mullion cover 31, which is temporarily fixed to the upper end of the mullion 3, is slid upward, and the upper surface of the upper plate portion 31A is brought into contact with the lower surface of the hanging wall 5, and the screw 7 is tightened to fix the mullion cover 31 to the mullion body 30. As a result, the mullion 3 is slightly braced between the floor 4 and the hanging wall 5, restricting the movement of the upper end of the mullion body 30, and allowing it to stand upright in a stable state.

[0027] Subsequently, when attaching the first joinery 1 to the left side of the mullion 3, as shown in Figure 8, the upper window frame 16 that constitutes the window frame 10 of the first joinery 1 is positioned between the opposing edge portions 31F in the depth direction on the mullion cover 31, and the first joinery 1 is positioned and attached. Here, the opposing wall portion 31E and edge portion 31F, which are connected to the front cover portion 31B or the rear cover portion 31C, correspond to the positioning portion for positioning the joinery.

[0028] Furthermore, when attaching the second door 2 to the right side of the mullion 3, the engaging portion of the door frame 22 of the second door 2 is engaged with the engaged portion 30F of the mullion 3, and the second door 2 is positioned and attached.

[0029] According to the mullion 3 of this embodiment, the mullion cover 31 has a front cover portion 31B and a rear cover portion 31C that overlap with the mullion body 30 in the depth direction on both sides of the upper end of the mullion body 30. Since the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C can slide vertically while overlapping with the mullion body 30 in the depth direction, even if a gap is created between the mullion body 30 and the opposing hanging wall 5 in the vertical direction when the mullion body 30 is erected, the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C can cover the gap between the mullion body 30 and the hanging wall 5 by sliding the mullion cover 31 upward. As a result, the gap between the mullion body 30 and the hanging wall 5 can be concealed, resulting in excellent design aesthetics.

[0030] Furthermore, since the mullion cover 31 is fixed to the mullion body 30, it is not necessary to fix the mullion body 30 to the hanging wall 5 in advance before positioning it. For this reason, when erecting the mullion 3, it is not necessary to align the fixing position of the lower end and the fixing position of the upper end of the mullion body 30 in advance, making it possible to easily install the mullion 3 in a vertical position.

[0031] Furthermore, since the mullion cover 31 has an insertion hole 31G which is an elongated hole in the vertical direction through which a screw 7 for fixing it to the mullion body 30 is inserted, the mullion cover 31 can be slid vertically within the clearance between the insertion hole 31G and the screw 7.

[0032] Furthermore, the opposing wall portions 31E of the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C of the mullion cover 31 position the first joinery 1 which is arranged side by side, making it possible to easily place the first joinery 1 in a predetermined position.

[0033] Furthermore, since the opposing wall portion 31E, which forms the positioning portion for positioning the first joinery 1, is connected to the front cover portion 31B or the rear cover portion 31C, the mullion cover 31 can be made into a simple structure. As a result, it is possible to provide a mullion cover 31 and mullion 3 that are easy to manufacture and cost-effective.

[0034] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first joinery 1 is positioned by the opposing wall portions 31E of the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C of the mullion cover 31. However, the invention is not limited to this, and for example, by providing opposing wall portions on the right side of the front cover portion 31B and the rear cover portion 31C, the second joinery 2 can also be positioned.

[0035] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example in which the mullion 3 is provided between the floor 4 as the lower member and the hanging wall 5 as the upper member, the upper and lower members are not limited to this. For example, the upper member may be a ceiling or a side wall, and the lower member may be a low wall, and the upper and lower members may be any members located above or below the mullion at the construction site where the mullion is erected.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the joinery arranged side by side with the mullion 3 consisted of a first joinery 1 for an interior window and a second joinery 2 with a door that can be opened and closed. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the connected first and second joinery may be any joinery having a frame.

[0037] The above embodiments are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0038] This embodiment discloses the mullions described in (1) to (4) below. (1) A mullion erected between an upper member and a lower member, comprising a mullion body fixed at the lower side and a mullion cover fixed to the upper end of the mullion body, wherein the mullion cover has cover portions that overlap with the mullion body in the depth direction on both sides in the depth direction, and the cover portions are slidable in the vertical direction while overlapping with the mullion body.

[0039] In the mullion described in (1), the mullion cover, which has cover portions that overlap with the mullion body in the depth direction on both sides of the upper end of the mullion body in the depth direction, is slidable vertically while overlapping with the mullion body. Therefore, even if a gap is created between the mullion body and an opposing upper member, such as a ceiling, when the mullion body is erected, the cover portion can cover the gap between the mullion body and the upper member by sliding the mullion cover upward. As a result, the gap between the mullion body and the upper member can be concealed by the mullion cover, resulting in excellent design aesthetics.

[0040] Furthermore, since the mullion cover is fixed to the mullion body, there is no need to fix it to the upper member in advance before positioning the mullion body. Therefore, when erecting the mullion, there is no need to align the fixing positions of the lower and upper ends of the mullion body in advance, making it possible to easily install the mullion in a vertical position.

[0041] (2) In the mullion described in (1), the mullion cover is fixed to the mullion body by a screw that is screwed into the mullion body, and has an elongated hole that is long in the vertical direction through which the screw is inserted.

[0042] In the mullion described in (2), a screw for fixing the mullion cover to the mullion body is inserted through an elongated hole that is long in the vertical direction, so that the mullion cover can be slid vertically within the clearance between the elongated hole and the screw.

[0043] (3) In the mullion described in (1) or (2), the mullion cover is characterized in that it has a positioning part for positioning joinery arranged side by side.

[0044] In the mullions described in (3), the positioning portion of the mullion cover of the erected mullion positions the joinery that is arranged side by side, making it possible to easily position the joinery at a predetermined position relative to the pre-set mullions.

[0045] (4) In the mullion described in (3), the positioning portion is characterized in that it is connected to the cover portion.

[0046] In the mullion described in (4), the positioning part for positioning the joinery is connected to the cover part, which makes it possible to create a simple structure for the mullion cover, and thus makes it possible to provide a mullion that is easy to manufacture and has low costs. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 3 vertical supports, 4 floor (lower member), 5 hanging wall (upper member), 7 screws, 30 Main body of the vertical support, 31 Vertical support cover, 31B Front side cover part (cover part), 31C Rear cover section (cover section), 31E Opposing wall section (positioning section), 31F Edge (positioning part), 31G Through hole (elongated hole),

Claims

1. A mullion erected between the upper member and the lower member, The main body of the mullion is fixed at the bottom, A mullion cover fixed to the upper end of the mullion body, It has, The aforementioned mullion cover is, It has cover portions that overlap with the main body of the mullion in the depth direction on both sides in the depth direction, A mullion characterized in that the cover portion can slide vertically while overlapping the main body of the mullion.

2. In the mullion described in claim 1, The mullion cover is fixed to the mullion body by a screw that is screwed into it, and the mullion has an elongated hole through which the screw is inserted, which is long in the vertical direction.

3. In the mullion described in claim 1 or 2, The mullion cover is characterized by having a positioning portion for positioning joinery arranged side by side.

4. In the mullion described in claim 3, The mullion is characterized in that the positioning portion is provided in connection with the cover portion.

Images