Partition structure and panel upper end cover device

Abstract

To provide a partition structure body which is devised in such a manner that the height positions of an upper end part of a plurality of partition panels arranged side by side can be aligned and its appearance is improved, even under a condition of not being a horizontal surface such as a floor of a site being inclined or dented, and to provide a panel upper end cover implement used for the same.SOLUTION: In a partition structure body, a support tool 12 detachably mounted on an upper end part of a partition panel 1 and a cover body 3A detachably mounted on the support tool 12 are provided, and by mounting the cover body 3A on the support tool 12 mounted on the upper end part of the partition panel 1, the upper end part of the partition panel 1 is concealed by the cover body 3A, in a direction view crossing a panel surface 1p of the partition panel 1. A support mechanism 13 for detachably mounting the cover body 3A on the support tool 12 is constituted so that the height position of the cover body 3A with respect to the support tool 12 can be adjusted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the laying of partition panels used in venues such as exhibition floors and exhibition halls, and relates to a partition structure used by arranging a plurality of them to form a partition wall, and a panel upper end covering tool used therefor.

Background Art

[0002] When holding a certain event with a limited schedule such as an exhibition or a festival, it is often set up by borrowing a venue such as a department store, a hotel, or a public facility. For example, as a wall for partitioning booths (display spaces) when holding an exhibition where a plurality of vendors gather, a partition wall formed by arranging a large number of partition panels is used.

[0003] Examples of means for partitioning space by arranging partition panels, that is, means for constructing a partition wall, include the inner wall panels disclosed in Patent Document 1 (particularly, refer to FIGS. 7 and 8), and the partition units disclosed in Patent Document 2 (particularly, refer to FIG. 7), etc. are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Normally, partition panels are often arranged and used by placing them on the floor of the venue, but in the case of an old building or a soft floor (such as insufficient strength), they may not be laid properly. In other words, if the floor of the venue is not necessarily level but slightly sloped, or if the center of the room is slightly lower (the center of the floor is recessed), a step (a difference in height) will be created between adjacent partition panels, resulting in an unsightly appearance.

[0006] For example, as shown in Figure 1, if the right side of the floor F in Figure 1 is slightly lower than the left side, and multiple partition panels 1 are placed front to back to form a partition wall, the height of each partition panel 1, i.e., the height of the top surface 1f of the panel, will be arranged so that it decreases as you move to the right.

[0007] While the height difference between the lower edges of adjacent partition panels is not very noticeable at low levels (almost floor level), the height difference between the upper edges of partition panels is easily noticeable and creates an undesirable visual impression. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in partition walls made by arranging multiple partition panels.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a more ingenious partition structure and a panel upper end cover device used therein, which allows the height positions of the upper ends of multiple partition panels to be aligned and improve the appearance, even under conditions that are not horizontal, such as when the venue floor is sloped or recessed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In a partition structure, the present invention relates to: A support member 12 is provided which is detachably attached to the upper end of the partition panel 1, and a cover body 3A is provided which is detachably attached to the support member 12. The cover body 3A is attached to the support member 12 mounted on the upper end of the partition panel 1, so that the upper end of the partition panel 1 is hidden by the cover body 3A when viewed in a direction intersecting the panel surface 1p of the partition panel 1.

[0010] The second aspect of the present invention relates to a panel upper end cover device, A support member 12 that can be mounted across the upper end of partition panel 1, A support mechanism 13 is provided for locking a cover body 3A, which can conceal the upper end of the partition panel 1 when viewed in a direction intersecting the panel surface 1p of the partition panel 1, to the support member 12. The cover body 3A is configured to conceal the upper end of the partition panel 1, and the cover body 3A can be secured to the support member 12, which is mounted on the upper end of the partition panel 1, by the support mechanism 13. It is characterized by the following:

[0011] For the third to seventh inventions and the eighth invention, please refer to the claims. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, since a cover body is attached to a support attached to the upper end of the partition panel, the upper end of the partition panel can be hidden (covered) by the cover body and made invisible.

[0013] Therefore, even if the upper edges (top surfaces) of adjacent partition panels are at different positions and are at different levels due to a sloped floor or other reasons, it is possible to align the height of the partition structure by providing cover bodies that can conceal the upper edges of the partition panels, such that the height of the upper edges of the panels are at the same level.

[0014] As a result, it is possible to provide a more ingenious partition structure and a panel upper end cover device used therein, which improves the appearance by substantially aligning the height of the upper ends of multiple partition panels arranged in a row, even under conditions where the venue floor is not a horizontal surface, such as being sloped or recessed, using a relatively simple and inexpensive method of providing a support device that rests on the partition panel and a cover body that is locked to the support device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Front view showing the partition structure and partition wall [Figure 2] Showing the panel upper end cover tool, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view [Figure 3] Showing the partition panel, (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view [Figure 4] (A) is a sectional view taken along the Z-Z line in FIG. 3(B), (B) is a side view of the partition panel [Figure 5] (A) is a bottom view of the main part showing the structure of the left and right ends of the partition panel, (B) is a sectional view taken along the Y-Y line of (A) [Figure 6] (A) is a perspective view seen from obliquely below showing the upper end connector, (B) is a perspective view seen from obliquely above showing the hanging tool [Figure 7] (A) is a perspective view seen from obliquely below showing the upper end connector for corners, (B) is a side view of the main part showing an example of use of the hanging tool [Figure 8] (A) Front view of a partially cut-out main part showing an example of use for the upper connector, (B) Plan view of the main part showing an example of use for the upper connector for orthogonality

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the partition structure and the panel upper end cover tool according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, left and right, front and rear, and up and down will be defined toward the first surface 1a of the partition panel 1

[0017] In FIG. 1, a partition structure A according to the present invention and a partition wall W formed by the partition structure A are shown. The partition structure A is composed of a partition panel 1, a panel upper end cover tool 2 attached to the upper end of the partition panel 1, and an upper end cover 3 attached to the panel upper end cover tool 2. And by arranging and connecting a plurality of partition panels 1, a partition wall W formed by a plurality of partition structures A is constructed on the floor F

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the partition panel 1 has a first surface (front) 1a, a second surface (back) 1b, a left side 1c, a right side 1d, a bottom surface 1e, and a top surface 1f. It is a thick, plate-like panel that is long horizontally and vertically and short (thin) front to back, with the vertical length being longer than the horizontal width, giving it a rectangular shape in front view. Downward-facing round holes 1h for inserting upper connectors 4 [see Figure 6(A): described later] are formed at each of the left and right ends of the top surface 1f. Also, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 5, upward-facing rectangular holes 1i for inserting lower connectors 5 [see Figure 3(A): described later] are formed at each of the left and right ends of the bottom surface 1e.

[0019] Although not shown in the illustration, partition panel 1 can have various structures, such as a structure in which a plate is laid on the outer surface of a frame material, or a structure in which a single sheet of wood or the like is used. The first surface 1a and the second surface 1b are both panel surfaces 1p. Also, as shown in Figures 3(B) and 4(B), partition panel 1 may have a thin, separate component (finishing material, etc.) 22 integrated into its upper end.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3(B) and 8(A), the upper connector 4 is fitted into the ends of the upper surfaces 1f of adjacent partition panels 1,1 on the left and right sides, and is capable of relative locking so that they do not separate from each other in the front, back, left, and right directions. Note that Figure 3(B) shows the upper connector 4 in its disassembled state before it is assembled to the partition panel 1. As shown in Figure 6(A), the upper connector 4 is composed of a downward-facing open U-shaped connecting body part 4A having a flat planar part 4a and a pair of hanging pieces 4b, 4b that are bent from the front and back of the planar part 4a and extend downward, and round bar-shaped pin parts 4c, 4c that protrude downward from the left and right sides of the planar part 4a.

[0021] Referring to Figure 8(A), when the upper connector 4 is dropped in and assembled to span adjacent partition panels 1,1, the pair of pin portions 4c, 4c are inserted into corresponding downward-facing round holes 1h, the flat portion 4a is placed on the upper surface 1f, and each hanging piece portion 4b is positioned in close proximity to the upper ends of the corresponding first and second surfaces 1a, 1b. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3(B), the upper connector 4 may have a structure consisting of a flat portion 4a and a pair of pin portions 4c, 4c (a structure without hanging pieces 4b, 4b).

[0022] In other words, the upper ends of adjacent partition panels 1,1 are basically connected by fitting the pin sections 4c,4c into the downward-facing round holes 1h,1h, and the pair of hanging pieces 4b,4b also provide a front-to-back guide function to align the front-to-back positions of adjacent first surfaces 1a,1a and second surfaces 1b,1b.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lower connector 5 is a general term for a single connector 5A positioned at the end of the partition wall W and a double connector 5B positioned across adjacent partition panels 1,1. As shown in Figures 3(B) and 4(A), the single connector 5A is composed of a single component in which a rectangular base plate 6, which is long in the front-to-back direction, and a projection 7 that is formed upright in the front-to-back center of the base plate 6 are integrated.

[0024] For example, a single connector 5A is formed by welding together a metal plate substrate 6 and a square pipe projection 7. In other words, with the substrate 6 facing forward and backward (see Figure 3(A)), the projection 7 is inserted into the upward-facing square hole 1i at the right end of the partition panel 1, and the bottom surface 1e is placed on the substrate 6, thereby allowing the left-right oriented partition panel 1 to be maintained in a stable upright position without tipping over forward or backward on the floor F.

[0025] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the double connector 5B is used to connect the lower ends of adjacent partition panels 1,1 and to support them upright (preventing them from falling forward or backward). As shown in Figures 3(B) and 4(A), the double connector 5B is composed of a component in which a roughly diamond-shaped base plate 8, which is long in the front-to-back direction, and a pair of connecting protrusions 9, 9, which are formed to stand upright on the left and right sides, close to each other, at the front-to-back center of the base plate 8, are integrated.

[0026] For example, a double connector 5B is formed by welding together a metal plate base plate 8 and connecting protrusions 9, 9 made of square pipes. Therefore, with the longitudinal direction of the base plate 8 facing forward and backward (see Figure 3(A)), by inserting one of the connecting protrusions 9 (the right side) into the upward-facing square hole 1i at the left end of the partition panel 1 and placing the bottom surface 1e on the base plate 8, the left-right oriented partition panel 1 can be maintained in a stable upright position without falling forward or backward on the floor F.

[0027] As shown in Figures 5(A) and (B), the upward-facing rectangular hole 1i on the bottom surface 1e of the partition panel 1 is formed by a hole fitting 10 embedded in the partition panel 1. Specifically, the hole fitting 10 is a component formed by the integration of a lower end fitting 10A and a rectangular tube material 10B by welding or other means. The lower end fitting 10A is screwed to the bottom of the partition panel 1 with screws 11, 11, and the rectangular tube material 10B, which is inserted into the upward-facing hole 1g of the partition panel 1, is assembled to stand upright from the bottom surface 1e.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the panel upper end cover device 2 consists of a support 12 that can be mounted across the upper end of the partition panel 1, and support mechanisms 13, 13 provided on the front and rear surfaces of the support 12, respectively. The support 12 is constructed, for example, by attaching a straddling body 12B made of a downward-opening U-shaped material to the lower side of a support body 12A made of a square pipe whose vertical length is greater than its front-to-back length.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2(B), the lower surface 14a of the intermediate portion 14 of the straddling body 12B is placed on the upper surface 1f, and a pair of front and rear legs 15, 15 are positioned close to and opposite the first surface 1a and the second surface 1b, so that the support 12 is mounted and supported on the upper end of the partition panel 1. The length of the support 12 (length in the left-right direction) is set to a length of slightly more than 1 / 3 of the left-right width of the partition panel 1 (see Figure 1), but this is not limited to this. In other words, the support 12 has a support body 12A that is placed on the upper surface 1f of the partition panel 1, and a pair of front and rear legs 15, 15 that extend downward from the front and rear of the support body 12A, so that it is mounted straddling the upper end of the partition panel 1 from front to back.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the support mechanism 13 has magnetic sheets (an example of a magnetic material) 13A attached to the front surface 12f and rear surface 12r of the support body 12A, respectively. The magnetic sheet 13A is formed as a rectangular sheet with a thickness t [see Figure 2(B)] that is slightly smaller than the front surface 12f (rear surface 12r) when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the panel surface 1p, i.e., in the front-to-back direction. The support body 12A and the straddling body 12B are preferably made of aluminum, metal, etc., but may also be made of synthetic resin or other materials.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper end cover 3 consists of a synthetic resin cover body 3A that has a long rectangle in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-back direction, and a sheet-like magnetic attachment 13B attached to the back surface of the cover body 3A. The left-right length of the cover body 3A is set to be equal to the left-right length of the partition panel 1, and the vertical width is set to have a certain length (e.g., 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of the left-right length). The magnetic attachment 13B can be anything that is magnetically attached to the magnet sheet 13A, such as a thin metal plate, and the support mechanism 13 is formed by these magnet sheet 13A and magnetic attachment 13B.

[0032] The upper end cover 3 can be attached to the front or rear surface of the panel upper end cover fitting 2 by magnetic attachment between the magnetized body 13B and the magnetic sheet 13A. The metal plate 13B, which is the magnetized body, has a vertical width equal to the vertical width of the cover body 3A, and its vertical position relative to the panel upper end cover fitting 2 can be adjusted (see Figure 1). In other words, the support mechanism 13 is configured to allow vertical adjustment of the position of the upper end cover 3 relative to the support fitting 12, as well as horizontal adjustment of its relative position. Alternatively, the support mechanism 13 may be formed by attaching the magnetic sheet (magnetic body) 13A to the cover body 3A and the metal plate (magnetized body) 13B to the support fitting 12.

[0033] Next, an example of a partition wall W using the partition structure A configured as described above will be explained. Figure 1 shows a partition wall W formed by connecting seven partition structures A in a row from left to right. In Figure 1, for simplicity, only the floor F, partition panel 1, panel upper end cover device 2, and upper end cover 3 are shown.

[0034] The partition structure A is provided with a support member 12 that is detachably attached to the upper end of the partition panel 1, and a cover body 3A that is detachably attached to the support member 12. The cover body 3A is attached to the support member 12 that is attached to the upper end of the partition panel 1, so that the upper end of the partition panel 1 is hidden by the cover body 3A when viewed from the front-to-back direction (view in a direction intersecting the panel surface 1p). The panel surface 1p is a surface that extends in the up, down, left, and right directions, and when viewed from the front-to-back direction and the diagonal front-to-back direction, the position of the upper end of the partition panel 1 is hidden (covered) and not visible by the cover body 3A.

[0035] Floor F is such that the height gradually decreases on the right side compared to the left side as viewed from the page in Figure 1. The 2nd to 5th partition panels 1 from the left, which are placed on the sloping floor surface 16 where the right side is lower, are floating above the sloping floor surface 16 except for their leftmost portions. Therefore, the height of the top surface 1f of the 1st and 2nd partition panels 1,1 from the left is the same, the height of the top surface 1f of the 3rd to 6th partition panels 1 gradually decreases as you move to the right, and the height of the top surface 1f of the 6th and 7th partition panels 1,1 is the same.

[0036] Each panel upper end cover device 2 is placed in the left-right center of each partition panel 1 and rests on the upper surface 1f. Each upper end cover 3 is adjusted in height relative to the corresponding panel upper end cover device 2, so that all seven upper end covers 3 are at the same height relative to each other. In other words, the upper end cover 3 is secured at a lower position relative to the panel upper end cover device 2 for the 1st and 2nd partition panels 1,1 from the left, the height relative to the panel upper end cover device 2 gradually increases for the 3rd to 6th partition panels 1, and the height relative to the panel upper end cover device 2 is highest for the 6th and 7th partition panels 1.

[0037] As shown in Figure 8(A), the upper connector 4, which spans adjacent partition panels 1,1 with different heights for their upper surfaces 1f, has its flat portion 4a placed on the higher upper surface 1f, and the pin portion 4c is inserted into the downward-facing round hole 1h with a gap e between the lower upper surface 1f and the flat portion 4a. Similarly, in the double connector 5B, the bottom surface 1e of the lower partition panel 1 is placed on the base plate 8, while the bottom surface 1e of the higher partition panel 1 is slightly raised from the base plate 8.

[0038] In other words, since the cover body 3A (upper end cover 3) is height-adjustable relative to the support 12 (panel upper end cover device 2), even if the height positions of the upper surfaces 1f of multiple partition panels 1 differ from each other, the height position of each cover body 3A as a partition structure A can be made uniform, as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, even if the height level of the floor F that serves as the venue is not a uniform horizontal surface due to the slope or unevenness of the floor, the height position of the partition wall W can be made uniform to a horizontal position, resulting in a partition structure A and panel upper end cover device 2 that are simple in structure, inexpensive, and aesthetically pleasing.

[0039] The vertical length of the cover body 3A is set to a value that maintains a certain distance above and below the upper surface 1f of the partition panel 1 when it is attached to the support 12. Therefore, if the height change of the floor F is small, a cover body 3A with a shorter vertical length is sufficient, and if the height change of the floor F is large, a cover body 3A with a longer vertical length can be used to accommodate this.

[0040] (Another embodiment 1) The upper connector 4 may also be used when adjacent partition panels are perpendicular to each other, as shown in Figure 7(A). This perpendicular upper connector 4T is the same as the parallel upper connector 4 shown in Figure 6(A), except that it has retaining pieces 4d, 4d which are about half the length of the pair of hanging pieces 4b, 4b, and a front-to-back regulating piece 4e provided at the end of the flat piece 4a on the side without the retaining piece 4d.

[0041] In other words, as shown in Figure 8(B), there is a case where the partition panels are arranged orthogonally such that the first surface 1a of one partition panel 1 abuts against the right side surface 1d of the other partition panel 1. In this case, the upper connector 4T is attached with the pressing pieces 4d, 4d facing the first and second surfaces 1a, 1b of one partition panel 1, and the restricting piece 4e facing the second surface 1b of the other partition panel 1. The pins 4c, 4c are inserted into the corresponding downward-facing round holes 1h.

[0042] (Another embodiment 2) As shown in Figure 7(B), the suspension device 17 can be mounted on the upper surface 1f of the partition panel 1. In the partition structure A according to the present invention, a gap d is provided between the front and rear of the panel surface 1p on the side of the partition panel 1 to which the cover body 3A is attached and the cover body 3A. More precisely, the gap d is provided in the front-to-back direction, with the magnetized body 13B and the panel surface 1p separated in the front-to-back direction.

[0043] As shown in Figure 6(B), the suspension device 17 is composed of a downward-opening U-shaped suspension body 18 when viewed from the left and right, and a hook (e.g., an L-shaped rod) 19 fixed to one of the leg pieces 18A of the suspension body 18. By placing the suspension body 18 over a location on the upper surface 1f where the panel upper end cover device 2 is not placed, the suspension device 17 can be attached to the upper end of the partition panel 1 [see Figure 7(B)].

[0044] (Another embodiment 3) As shown in Figure 7(B), for example, the object to be suspended 20, such as an exhibit or a bag containing a pamphlet, can be suspended from the hook 19 of the suspension device 17 by a string 21 and placed on the panel surface 1p. In this case, most of the suspension device 17 and string 21 (or the upper part of the string) are located on the back side of the upper end cover 3 and are hidden. In other words, the upper end cover 3 (cover body 3A) makes almost only the object to be suspended 20 visible, which also has the effect of improving the appearance.

[0045] [Another embodiment] Although not shown in the illustration, the panel upper end cover device 2 may have a structure in which the support device 12 is equipped with downward projections that are inserted into a plurality of downward-facing holes (such as downward-facing round holes 1h) formed on the upper surface 1f, and is supported on the upper surface 1f without straddling the upper end of the partition panel 1. Alternatively, the panel upper end cover device 2 may have a support device 12 equipped with downward-facing ridge projections that fit into recessed grooves formed on the upper surface 1f in a left-right penetrating manner.

[0046] Although not shown in the diagram, the support mechanism 13 may also be composed of hook-and-loop fasteners in which male and female fasteners are distributed between the support member 12 and the cover body 3A. Furthermore, if the upper end cover 3 is made only of a metal plate cover body 3A, the support mechanism 13 will be made only of a magnetic material 13A such as a magnetic sheet. In Figure 1, one support member 12 is used for one partition panel 1, but a configuration with two or more support members is also possible.

[0047] In the case of the partition wall W (seven partition structures A) shown in Figure 1, the upper end cover 3 can be configured as one long piece, two to three pieces, or eight or more pieces. In other words, the left-right length of the upper end cover 3 can be made longer or shorter than the left-right length of the partition panel 1.

[0048] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, it is also possible to prepare a large number of cover bodies 3A with various left-right lengths and top-down widths, and combine them with a support mechanism (e.g., fitting, screwing, etc.) 13 whose height relative to the support 12 is constant, as a design means to conceal the upper ends of each of the multiple partition panels 1 arranged in a row. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1 Partition Panel 1f top surface 1p panel surface 2 Panel upper edge cover tool 3A Cover Body 12 Supports 12A support body 13 Support mechanism 13A Magnetic material (magnetic sheet) 13B Magnetized object (metal plate) 15 Legs A partition structure d gap

Claims

1. A support is provided that is detachably attached to the upper end of the partition panel, and a cover body is provided that is detachably attached to the support. In a partition structure configured such that the upper end of the partition panel is hidden by the cover body when viewed in a direction intersecting the panel surface of the partition panel, the cover body is attached to the support member mounted on the upper end of the partition panel. The partition structure is characterized in that the support has a support body that is placed on the upper surface of the partition panel and a pair of legs that extend downward from both ends of the support body, so that it can be placed over the upper end of the partition panel.

2. The partition structure according to claim 1, wherein a support mechanism is provided for detachably attaching the cover body to the support, and the support mechanism is configured to allow adjustment of the height position of the cover body relative to the support.

3. The partition structure according to claim 2, wherein the support mechanism is configured by distributing a magnetic body having magnetic force and a magnetized body to be magnetically attached to the magnetic body between the support and the cover.

4. The partition structure according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic material is a magnetic sheet and the magnetized material is a metal plate.

5. The partition structure according to claim 3, wherein a gap is provided between the panel surface on the side to which the cover body is attached in the partition panel and the cover body.

Images