Fillet trim means in a panel baseboard assembly

July 23, 1968 j. β. dunnington 3,393,484

FILLET TRIM MEANS IN A PANEL BASEBOARD ASSEMBLY . Filed June 30, 1965

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United States Patent Office

3,393,484

Patented July 23, 1968

393 484 FILLET TRIM MEANS IN A PANEL BASEBOARD ASSEMBLY

Jon B. Dnnnington, Mercer Island, Wash., assignor to Weyerhaeuser Company, Tacoma, Wash., a corporation ⁵of Washington

Filed June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,454

Claims. (CI. 52—287)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A fillet installed along the lower horizontal edge of a panel unit which is adjustably spaced above a floor surface. The fillet includes an exterior leg member which jg establishes an adjustable space and supports the upper edge of a standard width baseboard member. The lower edge of the baseboard rests upon the uneven floor surface, but its upper edge need not be customed fitted, since it is hidden by the exterior leg member of the fillet within the 20 adjustable space.

.This invention relates to building partitions and more particularly to a method and means for installing the base- 25 boards of partitions.

The use of office dividing partition systems has provided a means for laying-out efficient office space arrangements. Such systems have become popular in usage depending upon their degree of flexibility, ease of installa- 30 tion, interchangeability, demountability and reusability. Often in the installation of such partitions it is necessary to divide the space in a building where the floors are uneven. While the partitions can be leveled to accommodate for the uneveness of the floors, it has become a costly 35 and time-consuming procedure to install baseboards in the bottom portion of the partition which accommodate for the unevenness of the floor.

Some attempts have been made to install the baseboards and partition systems which do accommodate for the 40 unevenness of the floor. One such attempt is disclosed in the U.S. patent to Tomlinson 2,540,305. One version of the baseboard installation is shown in FIGURE 3 thereof, which includes the use of wood baseboards 23 secured to a nailing strip 20 by screws 24; as shown, the screws 45 may be covered by a molding piece. Another form is shown in FIGURE 8 using a metal baseboard which is attached to the partition by special clips 27. A third form of a baseboard is the metal screen 37 shown in FIGURES 9 and 11, which is attached by special clips to 50 the partition support. The wooden version requires a permanent type of attachment of the baseboard to the support nailing strip, and each of the metal baseboard versions requires special forms and clips to attach the baseboards to the partition support. 55

I have discovered that by using a simply designed fillet, which might be extruded from hard rubber, plastic or suitable metal, it is possible to hold a simply formed baseboard in proper alignment and tightness in relationship to the partition and at the same time allow for minor 60 vertical adjustments of the partition due to the unevenness of the supporting floor surface.

The object of this invention is to form a smooth transition between the baseboard and the panel units of a partition system and to allow for vertical movement of 65 the panel units to accommodate for the uneveness of floor surfaces.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for using simply shaped baseboard material having a standard height in a building partition system where the 70 vertical height between the baseboard support and the floor may vary due to unevenness of the floor surface.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fillet means for demountably attaching a simple baseboard member to the bottom portion of a movable partition system which allows for vertical movement of the baseboard member to accommodate for unevenness of supporting floor surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed-out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower portion of the typical partition installation, showing the manner of installing the baseboard in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the lower portion of a partition in transverse section showing the relative positions of the panel unit, base runner and baseboard assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary transverse section of an end portion of a baseboard installation showing one embodiment of the baseboard fillet in accordance with the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary transverse section showing the end view of a second embodiment of the baseboard assembly fillet.

FIGURE 5 is a view of the lower portion of a partition in transverse section showing a support means which is different from that shown in FIGURE 2.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference is primarily made to FIGURES 1 and 2 which show the lower portion of a partition support assembly 1. A panel unit 3 having a base member 5 with a fillet slot 7 defined in the base member 5 is connected by means of a fillet 10 to a baseboard piece 18 which spans the gap between the base member 5 and the floor surface, being supported at its lower end by side support means 30 on a floor runner 20 and at its upper end by the fillet 10. As shown in FIGURE 2 a vertically adjustable support device 22 spans the space between the lower portion of the base member 5 and the upper portion of the floor runner 20 and may provide a wiring utility space 24 therein. As shown in FIGURE 5, it is possible to support the panel unit 3 without the use of a floor runner 20 by simply enlarging the size of the support device 22 to provide side support for the bottom end of baseboard piece 18. The support device 22 alone or the support device 22 and the floor runner 20 form support means for the base member 5.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 there is shown in greater detail and in slightly larger scale one embodiment of the fillet 10. This embodiment includes a top leg 11, which spans the distance between the top of notch 7 in the base member 5 and the lower end of the panel unit 3. An attachment leg 12 may be provided with ribs or other suitable means for permitting a demountable attachment between the fillet 10 and the base member 5 by engagement of the attachment leg 12 into the fillet slot 7. An exterior downwardly positioned leg 13 provides a means for covering the area above the top of the baseboard piece 18 and the lower edge of the fillet slot 7. This distance is shown by the letter “H” and may vary due to the unevenness of the supporting floor surface. In this particular embodiment of the fillet there is also included a back-stop leg 14, which provides an interior support to the upper edge of the baseboard piece 18.

3,393,484

Whenever the variation in the floor unevenness is not greater than the distance between the bottom of the fillet slot 7 and the bottom of the base member 5, it is possible to use a simple fillet 25, as shown in FIGURE 4, to provide the span coverage between the bottom of the panel 5 member 3 and the top of the baseboard piece 18. The simple fillet 25 has a top leg 26, attachment leg 27, and an exterior leg 28. Support for the top portion of the baseboard piece 18 is provided by the base member 5.

The utilization of this invention is best described in relation to a typical installation sequence for a partition system. The floor runner 20 is laid upon the floor surface in the desired location and vertical support devices 22 are placed along the length of floor runner 20. The panel unit 3 is lowered onto the support devices 22 with the base 15 member 5 contacting the upper surfaces of the support device 22. Wiring is placed through the wiring and utility space 24. If the embodiment of fillet 10 is to be used, the baseboard piece 18 may be inserted between the exterior leg 13 and the back-stop leg 14, and the entire sub- 20 assembly may then be snapped into place by inserting the attachment leg 12 into the fillet slot 7 in the base member 5. The fillet 10 may also be snapped into place before the baseboard piece 18 is inserted between the legs 13 and 14. In either case, baseboard piece 18 is then 25 supported against the bottom portion of the floor runner 20 and rests on the floor surface. If the variation of the floor unevenness is sufficiently small, the fillet 25 may be used by simply placing the baseboard piece 18 in contact at its lower end with the base runner 20 and its 30 upper end against the base member 5 and the fillet 25 is snapped into place by inserting the attachment leg 27 into the fillet slot 7.

The fillet 10 or 25 may be made of any suitable material, but extruded plastic and aluminum have been used 35 with good success. By virtue of the fact that the baseboard piece 18 is free to move up and down behind the exterior legs 13 or 28 of the fillets 10 or 25, the arrangement gives a neat workman-like appearance to the complete partition system without the need of custom cutting ⁴⁰of the baseboard piece 18.

If relocation, repair or access to the utilities is required, it is not necessary to do anything more than to pry the fillet attachment leg out of the fillet slot 7 by a simple exertion of pulling force. Thus it is seen that there is no need for destruction or time-consuming custom fitting when the fillets of this invention are used to attach baseboard pieces to the bottom portion of partition systems.