Partitions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a partition system comprising a plurality of panels, each panel provided with a plurality of clips each of which has one end secured to the panel and another end resiliently engageable and disengageable with a supporting member, the supporting member defining slots for receiving said clips.

Description

The present invention relates to a partition system, in particular to a demountable, battenless partition system.

Many known demountable partition systems have a plurality of adjacent panels whose joints are covered with removable strips or battens. Such strips or battens may actually secure the panels in place, or merely provide a means for hiding the panel attachment system, which latter for example might be self-tapping screws. The design of partition systems, of aesthetically acceptable appearance, without such battens which are also readily demountable, presents certain difficulties, and it is the object of the present invention to provide such a battenless partition system in which individual panels are readily demountable.

According to the present invention there is provided a partition system having a plurality of panels, each panel being provided with a plurality of clips for attaching the panels to a framework of supporting members, the clips being received in corresponding slots in the supporting members whereby individual panels are readily demountable therefrom.

Conveniently the panels of a partition system can be provided with a clip which is resilient and is generally hook-shaped, the clip having a lead in portion for facilitating engagement with the respective supporting member, a clipping portion for releasably securing the clip to the supporting member and a tail portion for attaching the clip to a panel and means for locating the clip thereto in a predetermined position.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a resilient, generally hook-shaped clip having a clipping portion for releasably securing the clip to a supporting member, a lead in portion for facilitating engagement with the supporting member and tail portions, each tail end of the clip being formed with a pointed barb and a respective notch being formed in the edges of the clip adjacent to each tail end thereof.

Advantageously clips are manufactured from thin metal strip and are attached to the panel before the panels are mounted on the support members. It is to be understood however that other materials such as plastics may be used for the clips.

Conveniently the supporting stud members are of I, H, J, Z or C section and may be formed from aluminum, steel, rigid plastics or like materials. Furthermore, the stud members can be of hollow rectangular cross section. However, any configuration which provides a flange for slotting in the plane of the panels, or which may be adapted by additional components to provide such a flange for slotting may be adopted. Alternatively, extruded sections can be used such as tubing with slots formed therealong for receiving the clips. Similarly the panels utilised may be of any conventional building panel material or composite thereof.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the partition system, according to a first embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is one form of assembly for the partition system of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3A is a section through a clip for use with the system of FIG. 6 according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the clip of FIG. 6,

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c are sequential perspective views showing the mounting process of the clip of FIG. 3 to the panels,

FIG. 5 is a section illustrating the mounting of the panels to the supporting members, using the clip of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the partition system according to the second embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 an I section stud member has a pair of punched rectangular slots 2 in each of its end flanges 1, the slots 2 in each flange being positioned adjacent one another on opposite sides of the stud web. The material of the stud can be punched out completely or bent back as shown in FIG. 1. The stud serves as an interconnecting support member between a pair of panels 5, the panels in the preferred embodiment having a gypsum plaster core with a paper covering and may be prefinished with a vinyl or similar plastic. If the material of the stud is bent back the removal of the panel away from the stud is facilitated during demounting in that clips 28 (FIG. 6) engage the bent material which forces the panel in a direction away from the slots 2. In the preferred embodiment a flat metallic or plastics strip 4 is bonded down both longitudinal edge regions on the unexposed face of panel 5 by for example a suitable adhesive. The strip 4 may be folded back on itself as shown at 7, so as to provide an over-lapped region to provide a more secure fixing for self-tapping screws. The clips 3 have a lead in portion L to facilitate their engagement with the stud 1, a clipping portion C and a tail T. The clip may have square 3b or barbed 3a tail ends which serve as to locate the clips in respective punched slots 6. The clips 3 are locked into position on the strip 7 by insertion of the tail end of each clip into the respective rectangular punched slot 6 formed in the strip 4 and then by insertion of a self-tapping screw or a blind rivet or other fixing means through the punched guide holes 8 in clip 3 and strip 4. The clips are positioned to match the slots in the studs.

It is also to be understood that where the panel material supplies a ready fixing for rivets, screws or other fixing, as for example when a timber or particle board panel is used, then no edge strips are required.

A second embodiment of the clip 28 (FIG. 3) has a lead in portion L and a clipping portion C similar to the clip 3 (FIG. 1).

The preferred clip 28 (FIG. 3) is generally hook-shaped and has good spring retention properties and is fixed to the panel without secondary fixings. Each end of the clip 28 has pointed barbs 40, FIG. 5 which penetrate into the panel and notches 30 engage the curved slots 32 (FIG. 4) punched in the bonded strip thus leading to a more effective grip when the weight of the panel is borne. The slots 32 can be of any suitably tapered configuration.

In order to fix the clips 28 panels cut to a preferred length are placed face downwards with the bonded strips uppermost FIG. 4. In the untensioned position one end of the clip protrudes slightly further than the other end FIG. 4a. The clip is fixed by inserting the protruding end through the top slot of the pair of slots in the bonded strip and sliding the end between the strip and the face of the panel (FIG. 4b). The other end is then extended to pass through the second of the paired slots in the strip and slides between the strip and panel (FIG. 4c).

The clip 28 is self locking on notches 30 cut just above each end which fit over the strip. The clip 28 has an improved locking action since when a panel is mounted in position the locking action is increased as the clip supports the weight of the panel on the stud. In addition the top of the clip is shaped to assist demounting by automatically forcing the board away from the stud as it is lifted.

The system shown in FIG. 6 uses the second clip as shown in FIG. 3. The system comprises panels such as plasterboard with a metallic or plastics strip 24 bonded down both edge regions on the unexposed face of the board. In the preferred embodiment the strips are perforated at intervals down the length with paired slots 32 (see FIG. 4a) to receive the clip 28 shown in FIG. 3. Clips 28 are spaced along the metal strips 24 (FIG. 6) to correspond with the slots 2 cut in the flange of the I, section studs. The panels are fitted by passing the clips 28 through the studding slots 2 and locking into position by lowering the board until its weight is taken on the clip in the same way as for the first clips 3, the clips 28 automatically gripping the studs. This system does not require special tools to fix the clips 28. To demount the board it is raised to clear the hook section of the clip from the bottom of the slot in the stud and then drawn outwards and removed.

If wide panels are used, then a centre stud may be used to give support down the panel centre and a further metal strip or short length of strip can be applied to the centre of the panel to provide attachment. Alternatively adhesive or a double sided self adhesive tape can be used to provide attachment to the centre stud. Three metallic or plastic strips 24 are bonded to the unexposed surface of the board, one strip down either edge region and one down the centre. Once the clips are in position the panel is lowered onto three support studs. In this case the centre stud will have one slot cut into the flange of for example a C section stud. Alternatively one side of an I section stud could be used.

The floor and ceiling supports may comprise typical channel tracks 14 (FIG. 2), conventionally used in the art, the top and bottom tracks 14 as shown in FIG. 2 being interconnected by H section studs 16. The rectangular slots 2 in the studs 16 are preferably greater in horizontal dimension than the clips which engage them. This enables the assembly to accommodate differences in width of panels on alternate faces of the partition, which arise from panel manufacturing tolerances, without deformation or strain in the component parts, consequent in previous systems of this type. In erection the ceiling support is fixed and the studs 16 raised into engagement with it by a shim or wedge 22 in such a manner that the slots in all the studs remain level. The panels with clips attached are raised using, for instance, a conventional foot lifter, the clips are then engaged in the slots in the studs and the panel allowed to fall so that the clips engage and clamp the panel to the studs. Either the studs may be all erected first and the panels applied or studs and panels can be erected alternately. To complete the partition suitable conventional components can be used such as trims 20 applied at the ceiling, and conventional applied skirtings or "bases" including recessed skirtings, can be used. FIG. 2, by way of example, shows a clip 10 with an extruded skirting 12 clipped on.

Apart from preventing vibration the gripping action of both type of clips allows a vertical tolerance for positioning the stud in relation to the panel. Furthermore, when erecting, successive panels can be pushed towards the fixed end of the partition with the clips sliding along the bottom edge of the slot in the stud to ensure a tight joint between the panels.

Claims

We claim:

1. A partition system comprising a plurality of panels, and wherein each panel is provided with a plurality of generally hook-shaped clips each of which has one end secured to the panel and another end resiliently engageable and disengageable with a supporting member defining a lead portion for facilitating engagement with the respective supporting member and a clipping portion for releaseably securing the clip to the supporting member, and a tail portion for attaching the clip to a panel, the supporting member defining slots for receiving said clips.

2. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the clip is generally hook-shaped, the resiliently engageable end defining a clipping portion for releasably securing the clip to the respective supporting member and a lead in portion for facilitating engagement with a supporting member, and tail portions, each tail end of the clip being shaped so as to constitute a barb, the edges of the clip adjacent to each barbed end defining a respective notch for providing effective gripping of the clip to the panel when the panel is supported on a supporting member.

3. A partition system as claimed in claim 2 and wherein the clips are made from a metallic strip.

4. A partition system as claimed in claim 2 and wherein the clips are made from a plastic strip.

5. A partition system as claimed in claim 2 and wherein a plurality of strips are bonded to a side of the panel, the strips defining slots for receiving the pointed barbs and the notches of the clip, the notches in the clips being formed in a region immediately adjacent the pointed barbed ends of the clip.

6. A partition system as claimed in claim 5 and wherein at least a portion of the slot has a tapering configuration.

7. A partition system as claimed in claim 6 and wherein the strip is bonded down each longitudinal edge region of the panel and a further strip is bonded to the centre of the panel for enabling a centre supporting member to be secured thereon.

8. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the clips are made from a metallic strip.

9. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the clips are made from a plastic strip.

10. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the supporting members are tubular sections defining slots for receiving the clips.

11. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the supporting members are made from steel.

12. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the horizontal dimension of the slots in vertical supporting members is greater than the width of the clips.

13. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the supporting member is in the form of an I section having a supporting member web and end flanges and defining a pair of rectangular slots in each of its end flanges, the slots in each flange being positined adjacent one another on opposite sides of the supporting member web.

14. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the panels have a gypsum plaster core with a paper covering.

15. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the panels have a facing made from plastics material.

16. A partition system as claimed in claim 15 and wherein the facing is made from a vinyl plastics material.

17. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein a metallic strip is secured down both longitudinal edge regions of a side of the panel.

18. A partition system as claimed in claim 17 and wherein the longitudinal end of the strip nearest the longitudinal edge region of the panel is folded back on itself to form an overlapped region of the strip.

19. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein a plastics strip is bonded down both longitudinal edge regions of a side of the panel, the strips defining respective rectangular punched slots into which the tail end of each clip may be inserted, the clip defining punched guide holes for receiving a fixing means which may be inserted through a respective guide hole and the strip for securing the clip thereto.

20. A partition system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the panels are made from timber.