Partition construction

Oct. 1, 1957 A. B. HAMMITT ET AL 2,808,136

PARTITION CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1

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B. /MMM/7T by VBRBBRTL. B/RUM.Jr, ATTORNEY^'

A. B. HAMMITT El* AL

PARTITION CONSTRUCTION

Oct 1, 1957

2,808,136

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Oct. 1, 1957 a. _B hammitt etal 2,808,136

PARTITION CONSTRUCTION

Filed Jan. 2. 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3

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United States Patent Office _Patenled oci⁸?⁸^

JFclt611L6yl \/Cl· JI »70/ i

2,808,136

PARTITION CONSTRUCTION

Andrew B. Hammitt, Trenton, and Herbert L. Birum, Jr., Titusville, N. J.

Application January 2,1953, Serial No. 329,206

Claims. (Cl. 189—34)

This invention relates to building constructions and is directed particularly to means for use in erecting partitions for dividing the interior of a building into separate rooms or sections.

When partitions are erected with conventional wooden studs to which lath and plaster or sheet material are applied, there is usually ample room for running wires, water pipes and other service units between , the walls. How’ever, such partitions are space consuming and stationary and cannot be taken down or moved without a major renovation of the building.

While numerous types of movable partitions have been suggested wherein a single thickness of wallboard or sheet material is used, the mounting means for the wall forming material have had to be individually layed out or engineered for each installation. They have generally included numerous parts which have to be produced in a shop and specially fitted together and they are sometimes bent during handling in such a way as to make it difficult or impossible to use the damage elements. Moreover, all prior installations have necessarily been made thick or bulky in appearance in order to provide space to receive armored or “B-X” wiring and electrical outlet boxes for switches and wall sockets.

In accordance with the present invention these objections to constructions of the prior art are overcome and elements are provided which may be quickly and easily cut, fitted and assembled on the job by unskilled workmen for use in any location to provide secure mounting of wall forming sheet material. At the same time the assembly provides an enclosed raceway in which the underwriting laboratories and building codes permit the use of open wiring and allow the direct mounting of electrical outlets and wall switches at convenient positions. Moreover, the partitions may be removed and erected in new locations without tearing up the floors, walls or ceiling which they engage.

These advantages are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing a limited number of elements in the form of continuous strips of extruded, rolled or molded material which may be cut, mitered and assembled on the job in the same manner as ordinary wood trim to form a base construction designed to receive and secure the wall forming sheet material in place. At the same time, the strips cooperate to provide a raceway or housing for electrical conduits and present areas within which suitable openings may be made to receive outlet plugs, switch boxes and the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel type of interior partition for buildings.

Another object of the invention is to provide elements for use in forming a base for a partition which includes a raceway for electrical conduits and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction for use in forming partitions wherein the elements employed may be formed of extruded, rolled or molded material capable of being assembled readily in erecting a partition.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the figures of the accompanying drawing.

⁵ In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a portion of a building embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section illustrating a preferred based assembly embodying the present inven¹⁰ tion;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3—3 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 to 7 are diagrammatic illustrations indicating steps which may be used in erecting the construction of ¹⁵ Fig. 1;

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate alternative forms of anchor plates which may be used in the practice of the present invention; and

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate alternative constructions ^υ for receiving and housing bolts or other securing means for holding elements of the assemblies in place.

In those forms of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration in the drawing the partition embodies a base _2g assembly 2, wall forming sheet material 4, and a ceiling ⁰ assembly 6 which may be the same or similiar to the base assembly 2. The vertical joints between the sheets of wall forming material are preferably joined by cover strips or battens 8 and comer assemblies 10 of the type shown and described in our co-pending abandoned application Serial No. 230,613, filed June 8, 1951.

The base assembly 2 which is shown in Fig. 2 comprises three cooperating strips of material including an anchor strip 12 and side plates 14 and 16. Each of these _3g strips may be in the form of an extruded, rolled or molded member which is uniform in cross section throughout its length so that any desired or required length may be cut from the strip with a conventional power saw or hack saw to fit in any location as determined on the job. The 4Q strips are preferably provided in conventional lumber lengths and may be cut and handled by unskilled workmen without special designing for any installation.

The anchor strip 12, shown in Fig. 2, is provided with a lower flat face 18 for engagement with the surface 20 45 on which the⁷ partition is to be erected and is formed on its opposite edges with retaining means 22 which are shown in the form of oppositely and outwardly extending flanges which are spaced vertically from the lower face 18 of the strip for receiving complementary flanges or 50 elements on the side plates 14 and 16 to hold them in place and improperly spaced relation. The side plates 14 and 16 are each formed on their lower edge with an inwardly projecting flange 24 designed to slip beneath the projecting retaining means 22 on the anchor strip 12. 55 The side plates also may be formed with a slot 26 extending lengthwise of the strip above the flange 24 so as to embrace the retaining means 22 and aid in supporting and positioning the side plates with respect to the anchor strip. Positioning of the side-plates with respect 60 to the anchor strip and surface 20 is further aided by the outward and downwardly extending foot 28 on the outerface of each side plate which is engageable -with the surface 20 on which the partition is erected and presents an attractive cove molding adjacent the floor, ceiling, 65 door frame or other abutting structures. - - The side plates 14 and 16 are formed on their inner faces with transversely projecting webs which cooperate to define an enclosed raceway extending throughout the length of the strips. For this purpose the side plate 70 14 is shown as being formed with; an inwardly-projecting web 30 whereas the side plate 16 is formed with a complementary web 32 which is displaced with respect to

2,808.136 web 30 so that when the side plates are in engagement with the anchor strip the two webs will overlap and preferably have direct contact with each other to close the bottom of a raceway 34. The side plates further are each provided with two spaced longitudinally extending parallel webs 36 formed with complementary bolt engaging ribs 38 of the character defined in said application Serial No. 230,613. An extension 40 adjacent the lower edge of the lower rib on one side plate, such as the side plate 14, serves to close the space between the webs on the opposed side plates and thereby closes the upper side of the raceway 34.

The portions 42 of the side plates above the bolt receiving webs 36 and adjacent the upper edges of the plates are in the form of vertical flanges which cooperate with the bolt receiving webs to form a channel for receiving the edge of a sheet of wall forming material 44. Either one of the side plates 14 or 16 may be drilled at any convenient points lengthwise thereof and between the bolt receiving webs so that bolts 46 may be passed through the drilled plate and into engagement with the bolt engaging ribs 38 on the webs 36 of the other side plate to draw the upper portions of the side plates together and into clamping engagement with the sheet material inserted into the channel formed by the edge portions 42 of the side plates. Longitudinally extending sealing elements 47 are preferably carried by the side plates adjacent the upper edges thereof in position to engage the opposite faces of the sheet material 44 so as to provide tight joints between the side plates and sheet material and insure continuous engagement therebetween. The bolts 46 serve to hold the lower flanges 24 of the side plates in engagement with the retaining means 22 on the anchor plate 12 and urge the portions 42 and sealing elements 47 on the side plates into firm engagement with the sheet material so as to secure the elements 12, 14 and 16 and the sheet material together in a rigid assembly for the partition.

The vertical edges of adjacent sheets of wall forming material may be secured together and the joints therebetween may be sealed by any suitable means but as shown the construction of said application Serial No. 230,613 is employed. This construction consists of a pair of opposed cover strips 48 which are generally Tshaped in cross section and secured together by bolts 50 which pass through one strip and engage the bolt retaining ribs on webs 52 of the other strip to draw the strips together and clamp the edges of the sheets between the laterally extending head portions 54 of the strips. When desired, sealing means 56 are carried by the head portions of the cover strips 48 to insure effective sealing of the joint between adjacent sheets of material. In any event, the lower ends of the cover strips abut the upper edges of the side plates 14 and 16 to provide a neat joint between the elements securing the wall forming sheet material in place.

With the construction shown the raceway 34 is closed about its sides and provides a space in which electrical conduits 58 or other facilities such as water pipes, telephone lines or the like may be housed so as to be fully enclosed and spaced from any bolts, screws or attaching means so as to meet the requirements of building codes and fire underwriters. The wiring used may be conventional insulated wires instead of the usual heavy armored cable and side plates may be provided with openings communicating with the raceway 34 for direct mounting of electrical outlets 60, switches 62 or other connections without employing any outlet boxes. These openings may be located at any suitable points throughout the length of the side plates and on either side of the partition and may be made in the side plates either before or after they have been placed in position.

The anchor strip . 12 may be secured to the floor or foundation 20 in any location and by suitable means such as screws 64 passing through openings drilled in the anchor strip either before or after the strip is placed in position. The width of the anchor strip employed in any particular installation will depend upon the thickfl ness of the wall forming material being used. However, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the anchor strip may be made adjustable in width by forming it of two parts which are relatively movable toward and away from each other and jointly or individually secured to the floor in the 10 desired spaced relation to enable the side plates to engage and grip sheet material of any required thickness. The strips 80 and 82 may be identical in cross section but reversed in position as shown in Fig. 8 or they may have overlapping portions as shown at 84 and 86 in Fig. 9. 15 As shown in Fig. 3 the anchor strip may extend vertically and constitute or be secured to a door jamb or stile 66. In such cases the anchor plate may be specially formed for its intended purpose or may be attached to the stile 68 by means of bolts or screws 72 or otherwise. ²⁰ Further, as shown in Figs. 10, Il and 12, the bolts or other securing means employed for holding the elements of the assemblies in place may be partially or wholly recessed in the side plates or cover strips and the ends of the bolts concealed by means of cap strips applied ²⁸ to the side plates or cover strips.

As shown in Fig. 10 the side plate 14 is formed as shown in Fig. 2 with vertically spaced and longitudinally extending webs 36 having bolt engaging ribs 38 for receiving the bolts 46 at any points throughout the length ³⁰ thereof. However, the other side plate 16a is formed with a longitudinally extending recess 90 for receiving the head 92 of the bolt 46. The base 94 of the recess may be drilled at any suitable points to permit passage of the bolt through the base 94 into retaining engagement with the ribs 38 on the webs 36 to draw the side plates together in securing the elements of the base assembly together. The inner side walls of the recess 90 are provided with ribs 96 and a cap strip 98 formed with complementary grooves engageable with the ribs 96 is inserted into the recess 90 to cover the heads 92 of the bolts.

•As shown in Fig. 11 a similar construction may be used in securing together the cover strips between adjacent sheets of wall forming material. In this assembly 45 one of the cover strips used is of the form shown at 48 in Fig. 2, whereas the . other cover strip 100 is formed with a longitudinally extending recess 102. provided with a cap strip 104 which conceals the heads 106 of the bolts 50. The cap strip is held in place by ribs 108 engaging 50 complementary grooves extending lengthwise of the cap strip.

In the construction of Fig. 12 both of the opposing elements of the cover strip assembly are of .the type shown at 100 in Fig. 11 and a conventional nut and bolt 55 assembly is used with the heads 106 of at least some of the bolts located in the recess 102 of one cover strip· while the nuts 109 on the opposite ends of the bolts are located in the recess 102 of the other cover strip of the assembly. Both cover strips are provided with cap strips 60 104 which are snapped into place to conceal the heads and nuts of the bolts used in securing the elements together.

The construction of Fig. 12 can, of course, be embodied in the assembly of Figs. 1 and 10 to permit the 65 use of nuts on the bolts employed in securing the elements of the base assembly together, if desired. However, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, when a cap strip is used on only one element of the assembly the other element may be formed with longitudinally extending 70 grooves 110 simulating the opposite edges of -the cap strip to provide uniformity in appearance and a trim decorative design on both sides of the assembly.

The base assembly of the present invention consisting of the strips 12, 14 and 16 is also designed for securing 75 the upper edge of a partition to a ceiling or rafter as

2,808,136 required in any installation and therefore the expansion “base assembly” should be understood to refer to the assembly of such elements when employed in any position or location.

In order to illustrate typical operations which may be employed in erecting a partition in accordance with the present invention, reference is made to Figs. 4 to 7. As indicated in Fig. 4 anchor strips 12α and 12b are secured to the floor 20α and the ceiling 206 by means of screws 70. The width of the anchor strips used will depend upon the thickness of the sheet material employed in forming the partition and if the anchor plates of Fig. 8 or 9 are used, they may be individually or jointly secured in place in the required spaced arrangement to receive the side plates 14 and 16.

Thereafter, one of the side plates such as 16 is cut to size and placed in position after first having been drilled to provide an opening for receiving an electrical outlet 60. The electrical conduits are simply layed in place in the space between the webs on the side plate 16 and are connected directly to the outlet 60 by suitable wiring connections without using any outlet boxes. A sheet of wall forming material 44 is then placed in position so as to rest upon the upper rib 38 of the side plate 16 with the upper edge of the sheet 44 positioned adjacent the upper anchor strip 12b. The other side plate, such as 14, is then cut and placed in position with its lower flange 24 projecting beneath the retaining means 22 on the anchor strip and is moved into position to engage the opposite side of the sheet 44 so that the lower edge of the sheet is held in place within a channel formed of the webs 36 and the upwardly projecting edges 42 of the side plates. Bolts 46 are then passed through openings drilled in either side plate between the bolt engaging webs 36 so ⁱas to be received by the bolt engaging ribs 38 on the webs 36 of the other side plate.

Upon tightening these bolts the lower edge of the sheet material is clamped firmly in place between the portions 42 of the side plates 14 and 16. At the same time, the lower flanges 24 of the side plates are drawn into secure engagement with the retaining means 22 on the opposite edges of the anchor strip 12α. A rigid base assembly is thus provided for securing the sheet material in place and for presenting a closed raceway for securing wiring or the like and extending the full length of the assembly.

In the same manner additional side plates 14 and 16 are applied to the upper anchor strip 126 and secured in place by the bolts 46 so as to clamp the upper edge of the wall forming sheet material 44 in place. In forming corners or in passing about door and window openings the strips 12, 14 and 16 can be cut to length and mitered or otherwise fitted together and into place by workmen on the job and in the same manner as ordinary lumber trim and molding are handled in conventional practice when using wood.

The cover strips 48 are applied between the adjacent vertical edges of the sheets of wall forming material so that a partition is provided which is rigidly held in place and which can be easily and quickly erected. The electrical conduits extend through the raceway in the base assembly extending along the stile and over the head of the door. Switches can be located in the raceway adjacent the door for convenience in location or they may be located on or adjacent any of the vertically extending cover strips between adjacent sheets of wall forming material.

The construction thus provided is neat and attractive in appearance and the elements can be made in uniform or various standard lengths so that little, if any, cutting and fitting of the parts is required and a great deal of time, labor and expense is saved in the erection of the partitions. Moreover, the elements are adapted for use in erecting partitions in either new or old building constructions and may be removed and assembled in any new location as required without injury to the floor, ceiling or walls to which they are applied.

While particular forms of anchor strips and ride plates have been shown in the drawings for purposes of indi5 eating the nature of the present invention, it will be apparent that these forms may be changed considerably in shape and design. In view thereof it should be understood that the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings and described above are intended to be 10 illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.