Partition systems are employed to isolate portions of a building or room, by serving as a barrier to dust, noise, light, odors, and the like. In construction zones, partitions are useful for protecting a clean area from a work area, for example, protecting an area where furniture and rugs are temporarily stored from an area where wood floors are being refinished. U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,469, U.S. Ser. No. 10/600,939, filed Jun. 20, 2003, published as United States Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0031892, U.S. Ser. No. 10/600,300, filed Jun. 20, 2003, published as United States Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0065799, and U.S. Ser. No. 11/125,583, filed May 10, 2005, published as United States Patent Application Publication Number 2005/0247414, the contents of each being incorporated herein by reference, disclose various partition mounting systems. These systems offer the advantages of modularity, visual attractiveness, and effectiveness in performing the partitioning function, and are compatible with a variety of commercially-available curtain or drape materials, for example plastic and cloth sheeting, and the like. The disclosed systems are “clean” systems designed to be installed and removed without damaging or otherwise marking the ceiling, floor or walls in the construction zone. Assembly is easy and fast and can be accomplished by a single individual.
Spooled caution tape is often used to designate a portion of a room, such as a construction zone, as being dangerous or inaccessible. The caution tape is usually simply tied in a knot to objects that are located in the room in order to section off the area. This solution is unsightly for certain installations, such as hotel and bank lobbies, where a visually attractive solution is desired. Installation and removal are difficult since knotting the tape to existing objects can be challenging and since removal can require a need for cutting with a knife without scratching the surface of the underlying object. In addition, the caution tape that is attached is difficult to pull taut upon installation.
Construction zones also characteristically include other dangers such as the presence of electrical wires extending across the floor and various tools and other objects scattered about. This presents a hazard both for construction workers, and owners and guests of the building. To date, organization systems for construction zones are either non-existent or ineffective.
The present invention is directed to an accessory mounting system and mounting method thereof that provides an effective solution for sectioning a portion of a room and for organizing tools, objects and cables involved in the activity that gives rise to the need for sectioning the room.
In particular, the present invention provides an accessory mounting system and method whereby accessories can be mounted to poles that are designed for use in temporary partitioning systems, or to other poles such as painter's poles. Such accessories can include, for example, a caution tape dispenser that mounts to a side surface of a pole following installation of the pole, and various pole clips that locate the caution tape at other poles in a clean, visually attractive, and effective manner. Other accessories include tool mounts, cable mounts, shelves, drawers, hooks, camera or laser mounts, and the like, all attachable to a side surface of a pole following its installation. In one embodiment, the pole is adjustable in length. In another embodiment, the pole includes a portion that is compressible, for example by a spring, so that a top and a bottom portion of the pole can be compressed and held in place between two surfaces of a room, such as a floor and a ceiling.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a pole accessory mounting system, comprising: a hand-releasable clamp having a pole interface that is adjustable in width, the clamp constructed and arranged to mount to a body portion of a pole between a first end and a second end of the pole; a pole accessory being constructed and arranged to be coupled to the clamp; and an adapter that couples the pole accessory to the hand-releasable clamp.
In one embodiment, the system comprises multiple hand-releasable clamps, multiple pole accessories, and multiple adapters, the multiple hand-releasable clamps being similar in configuration, each pole accessory being constructed and arranged to be coupled to a corresponding one of the multiple hand-releasable clamps at a corresponding adapter. In another embodiment, at least two of the multiple pole accessories have a different configuration. In another embodiment, the pole accessories comprise at least two of a caution tape dispenser accessory, a shelf accessory, a wire clip accessory, a hook accessory, a lighting accessory, and a laser/camera mounting accessory.
In another embodiment, the pole accessory comprises at least one of a caution tape dispenser accessory, a shelf accessory, a wire clip accessory, a hook accessory, a lighting accessory, a laser/camera mounting accessory, and a tray accessory.
In another embodiment, the pole interface of the hand-releasable clamp includes multiple arcuate sections that surround portions of a pole.
In another embodiment, the pole interface includes a non-skid material at a point of contact between the pole interface and the pole to which the clamp is mounted.
In another embodiment, the system further comprises a pole having a length that is adjustable. In another embodiment, the pole comprises multiple telescoping segments of different outer widths. In another embodiment, the pole comprises a circular cross section. In another embodiment, the pole includes a compression mechanism between a first end and a second end of the pole that biases the first end in a direction away from the second end. In another embodiment, the pole includes a curtain mounting head at one of the first end and the second end.
In another embodiment, the clamp is constructed and arranged to mount to a body portion of a pole between the first end and the second end following installation of the pole between first and second surfaces of a room.
In another embodiment, the clamp comprises a first body portion and a second body portion, at least one of the first and the second body portions of the clamp pivoting relative to the adapter.
In another embodiment, one of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes a latching arm that extends from the body portion of the clamp, the latching arm including an engagement feature, and wherein the other of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes multiple engagement tabs, the width of the pole interface being adjustable according to the one of the multiple engagement tabs that is engaged with the engagement feature.
In another embodiment, the latching arm pivots relative to the body portion of the clamp from which it extends.
In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes at least one pivot hook that retains corresponding rod features on the adapter so that the at least one clamp body portion pivots relative to the adapter.
In another embodiment, the adapter is integral with the accessory.
In another embodiment, the adapter is removably attachable to the accessory.
In another embodiment, the accessory includes an adapter slot that receives a body portion of the adapter. In another embodiment, one of the adapter slot of the accessory and the adapter includes retention hooks, and the other one of the adapter slot of the accessory and the adapter includes retention slots, and wherein the retention hooks mate with the retention slots to retain the adapter in the adapter slot.
In another embodiment, the accessory comprises a dispenser that dispenses a ribbon of material, comprising: a dispenser body portion; and a spool that rotates relative to the body portion about a spool axis, the spool constructed and arranged to dispense a ribbon of material, wherein the spool extends from the pole so that the spool axis and an axis of elongation of the pole are spaced apart.
In another embodiment, the spool has one or more outer surface portions that correspond to an inner diameter of a standard roll of caution tape, for example of 3 inch inner diameter.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes a locking mechanism that prevents rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes a handle that extends from the spool for rapid manual rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes an adjustable tension mechanism that adjusts tension in the rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a dispenser mountable to a pole that dispenses a ribbon of material, comprising: a dispenser body portion; a spool that rotates relative to the dispenser body portion about a spool axis, the spool constructed and arranged to dispense a ribbon of material; and a pole mount that mounts the dispenser body portion and the spool to a pole so that the spool extends from the pole so that the spool axis and an axis of elongation of the pole are spaced apart.
In one embodiment, the spool has one or more outer surface portions that correspond to an inner diameter of a standard roll of caution tape, for example of 3 inch inner diameter.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes a locking mechanism that prevents rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes a handle that extends from the spool for rapid manual rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further includes an adjustable tension mechanism that adjusts tension in the rotation of the spool relative to the dispenser body portion.
In another embodiment, the pole mount comprises: a hand-releasable clamp having a pole interface that is adjustable in width, the clamp constructed and arranged to mount to a body portion of a pole between a first end and a second end of the pole; and an adapter that couples the dispenser body portion to the hand-releasable clamp.
In another embodiment, the pole interface of the hand-releasable clamp includes multiple arcuate sections that surround portions of a pole.
In another embodiment, the pole interface includes a non-skid material at a point of contact between the pole interface and the pole to which the clamp is mounted.
In another embodiment, the dispenser further comprises a pole having a length that is adjustable. In another embodiment, the pole comprises multiple telescoping segments of different outer widths. In another embodiment, the pole comprises a circular cross section. In another embodiment, the pole includes a compression mechanism between a first end and a second end of the pole that biases the first end in a direction away from the second end. In another embodiment, the pole includes a curtain mounting head at one of the first end and the second end.
In another embodiment, the clamp is constructed and arranged to mount to a body portion of a pole between the first end and the second end following installation of the pole between first and second surfaces of a room. In another embodiment, the clamp comprises a first body portion and a second body portion, at least one of the first and the second body portions of the clamp pivoting relative to the adapter. In another embodiment, one of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes a latching arm that extends from the body portion of the clamp, the latching arm including an engagement feature, and wherein the other of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes multiple engagement tabs, the width of the pole interface being adjustable according to the one of the multiple engagement tabs that is engaged with the engagement feature. In another embodiment, the latching arm pivots relative to the body portion of the clamp from which it extends. In another embodiment, at least one of the first and second body portions of the clamp includes at least one pivot hook that retains corresponding rod features on the adapter so that the at least one clamp body portion pivots relative to the adapter.
In another embodiment, the adapter is integral with the dispenser body portion. In another embodiment, the adapter is removably attachable to the dispenser body portion. In another embodiment, the dispenser body portion includes an adapter slot that receives a body portion of the adapter. In another embodiment, one of the adapter slot of the dispenser body portion and the adapter includes retention hooks, and the other one of the adapter slot of the dispenser body portion and the adapter includes retention slots, and wherein the retention hooks mate with the retention slots to retain the adapter in the adapter slot.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a ribbon guide comprising: an elongated body portion; multiple offset pole interface fingers extending from the body portion having a curved cross-section constructed and arranged to be press-fit onto an outer body surface of a pole between a first end and a second end of the pole; and an elongated slot having an opening in which an edge portion of a ribbon of material can be inserted and removed.
In one embodiment, the elongated slot is of a length that is at least a width of a caution tape.
In another embodiment, the elongated slot includes a trap that permits insertion of an edge portion of a ribbon of material and resists removal of the edge portion of the ribbon of material.
In another embodiment, the ribbon guide further comprises a thumb release feature at which manual leverage can be applied to remove the ribbon guide from a pole to which the ribbon guide is mounted.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of mounting a pole accessory to a pole comprising: coupling a pole accessory to a hand-releasable clamp at an adapter; and applying a hand-releasable clamp having a pole interface that is adjustable in width to a body portion of a pole between a first end and a second end of the pole to secure the clamp and the pole accessory to the pole.
In one embodiment, the pole accessory comprises at least one of a caution tape dispenser accessory, a shelf accessory, a wire clip accessory, a hook accessory, a lighting accessory, a laser/camera mounting accessory, and a tray accessory.
In another embodiment, the method further comprises installing the pole having a length that is adjustable between first and second surfaces of a room.
In another embodiment, applying the hand-releasable clamp comprises applying the hand-releasable clamp after installing the pole.
In another embodiment, the pole comprises multiple telescoping segments of different outer widths.
In another embodiment, the pole comprises a circular cross section.
In another embodiment, the pole includes a compression mechanism between a first end and a second end of the pole that biases the first end in a direction away from the second end, and further comprising compressing the compression mechanism during installation of the pole.
In another embodiment, the adapter is integral with the accessory.
In another embodiment, the adapter is removably attachable to the accessory, and further comprising mounting the adapter to the accessory.
In another embodiment, the accessory comprises a dispenser that dispenses a ribbon of material, comprising: a dispenser body portion; and a spool that rotates relative to the body portion about a spool axis, the spool constructed and arranged to dispense a ribbon of material, wherein the spool extends from the pole so that the spool axis and an axis of elongation of the pole are spaced apart, and wherein the method further comprises mounting a roll of ribbon material to the spool and dispensing the ribbon of material.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of sectioning an area of a room, comprising: installing multiple poles between first and second surfaces of a room in the area to be sectioned; mounting a ribbon dispenser including a ribbon of material to a body portion of a first pole of the multiple poles between first and second ends of the first pole; pulling the ribbon of material toward a second pole of the multiple poles; mounting a ribbon guide including a ribbon slot to the second pole; and placing the ribbon through the ribbon slot of the ribbon guide.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises: pulling the ribbon of material to a third pole of the multiple poles; and clamping the ribbon of material to a body portion of the third pol.
In another embodiment, the ribbon dispenser comprises: a dispenser body portion; and a spool that rotates relative to the body portion about a spool axis, the spool constructed and arranged to dispense the ribbon of material, wherein the spool extends from the pole so that the spool axis and an axis of elongation of the pole are spaced apart, and further comprising mounting a roll of ribbon material to the spool and dispensing the ribbon of material.
In another embodiment, the ribbon of material comprises a roll of caution tape.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
The present invention is directed to an accessory mounting system and mounting method thereof that provides an effective solution for sectioning a portion of a room or for organizing tools and objects, such as lighting and lasers, and cables involved in the activity that gives rise to the need for sectioning the room. Various embodiments of the present invention include accessories that are configured to mount to a side portion of an adjustable length pole, that is installed between two surfaces of a room, such as a floor and ceiling of a room. An advantage of the present invention lies in that the accessories each include a clamp that attaches to a side portion of a pole and therefore can be mounted, and adjusted in vertical position and angular orientation, following installation of the pole. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the clamp is hand-adjusted, hand-secured and hand-released, for ease of use. Accessories can be provided for a number of different functions, including a caution tape dispenser and related tape guides, tool mounts, cable mounts, shelves, drawers, lighting mounts, laser mounts, camera mounts, hooks, and other related supports and organization aids that lead to a more visually attractive, and safer, work area.
In certain embodiments of the accessory mounting systems and mounting methods of the present invention, the different types of accessories are attachable to the side portion of a pole at a clamp and accessory connector that have the same modular form, and are therefore compatible with each different type of accessory. This is accomplished by providing each accessory to include a similar clamp attachment at the interface between the accessory body and the clamp. In this manner, each of the different types of accessories is modular with the clamp in the sense that each accessory can share the same type of pole clamp. This feature reduces tooling and manufacturing costs.
In the example embodiment of
The second and third poles 18, 20 are each provided with a tape guide clip 17. The tape guide clips 17 include opposed fingers that flexibly snap about a side portion of a lower portion of the pole. The tape guide clips 17 include a tape slot 19 through which the caution tape can be positioned and a handle 23. The caution tape 14 in this example is pulled from the dispenser 10 and passes through the slot 19 of the tape guide clip 17 mounted to the second pole 18. From there, the caution tape 14 is extended to the third pole 20, where an end of the tape is secured to the body of the third pole 20 by the tape guide clip 17. At the third pole 20, the end of the caution tape is clamped directly to the body of the third pole by the opposed clamping fingers. In this manner, the tape guide clips 17 serve the dual purpose of positioning the caution tape relative to the pole, as shown in
The caution tape dispenser accessory 10 can be provided with an optional tensioning mechanism that provides tension in the caution tape to prevent sagging, and further can be provided with a locking mechanism to fix the length of the tape, once dispensed and adjusted. An optional handle can be provided on the dispenser 10 for reeling in the tape when the project is complete. In addition, the caution tape dispenser accessory can be provided with a self-retracting spool for automatically retracting the dispensed tape. The caution tape is readily attachable to the poles 12, 18, 20 and is held taut and at a desired height. In this manner, a room can be sectioned in a relatively simple and tidy fashion.
In this embodiment, the caution tape dispenser accessory 10 includes an axle 44 that extends from the body portion 46 and on which is seated a spool 45. The spool 45 rotates about the axle 44 at a spool seat 95. An outer diameter of the spool 45 is dimensioned to receive a standard roll of caution tape that can be press fit on the spool 45, for example a standard roll having an inner diameter of 3 inches. The spool 45 is secured to the body portion 46 and axle 44 using a bolt 91, washer 92 and nut 94. An optional spring 93 can be positioned between an upper portion of the axle 44 and an inner ceiling of the spool seat 95 so that an adjustable tension can be applied to the rotation of the spool 45 relative to the body portion 46. A lock knob 47 at a top of the spool 45 controls the position of an engagement tooth 43 at a bottom, interior portion of the spool 45. The engagement tooth 43 is constructed to engage one of multiple tooth captures 51 arranged about a bottom portion of the axle 44. In one embodiment, the lock knob 47 and the engagement tooth 43 pivot relative to each other about an axle. In this manner, the rotational position of the spool can be locked relative to the body portion 46. A retractable handle 66 that pivots relative to the spool extends in a horizontal direction from the top of the spool in an active position. The handle 66 includes a knob 67 that rotates relative to the handle 66, so that the caution tape can be rapidly dispensed during installation and reeled and retained following use.
While an accessory in the form of a caution tape dispenser is shown and described above in connection with the present invention, accessories other than the caution tape dispenser can be employed, and are equally applicable to the present invention. For example, such accessories can include, for example, tool mounts, cable mounts, shelves, drawers, lighting mounts, laser mounts, camera mounts, hooks, and other related supports and organization aids that lead to a more visually attractive, and safer work site. The additional accessories can each be constructed and arranged to include a modular mounting attachment 48 on their bodies having the same configuration as that of the modular mounting attachment 48 of the caution tape dispenser accessory 10. In this manner, the different types of accessories can be mounted to the same type of clamp 26 and modular accessory connector 36, leading to reduced manufacturing and assembly costs.
In the embodiment shown in
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The various accessories, the clamp, the modular accessory connector, and the tape guide clip, and the various components thereof, can be formed of any of a number of relatively strong and lightweight materials, including plastic, aluminum, and graphite. In one example, the parts and components are formed in a plastic injection molding process, preferably in a straight-pull injection molding process in order to reduce tooling and manufacturing costs.
The present invention is therefore directed to accessory mounting systems and mounting methods thereof that provide an effective solution for sectioning a portion of a room and for organizing tools, objects and cables involved in the activity that gives rise to the need for sectioning or organizing the room, in a manner that improves site safety, improves the visual attractiveness of a site, and improves site organization.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
For example, although certain embodiments described above describe the use of a caution tape dispenser for dispensing commercially available caution tape, a similar dispenser could be configured to dispense colored ribbon or rope that does not include a written warning.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
475383 | Cleaveland | May 1892 | A |
1106152 | McIntosh et al. | Aug 1914 | A |
2365985 | West | Dec 1944 | A |
2757882 | Maitland | Aug 1956 | A |
2876027 | Sulmonetti | Mar 1959 | A |
3425127 | Long et al. | Feb 1969 | A |
3856232 | Rinaldi | Dec 1974 | A |
3881677 | Ihlenfeld | May 1975 | A |
3917231 | Fink | Nov 1975 | A |
4115966 | DeLee | Sep 1978 | A |
4307864 | Benoit | Dec 1981 | A |
4844420 | Oster | Jul 1989 | A |
5056753 | Lunau et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
5305978 | Current | Apr 1994 | A |
5386961 | Lu | Feb 1995 | A |
5497214 | Labree | Mar 1996 | A |
5542776 | Reynolds | Aug 1996 | A |
5752670 | Lasecki et al. | May 1998 | A |
5829723 | Brunner et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5924469 | Whittemore | Jul 1999 | A |
6085955 | Hicks et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6205679 | Rodway et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6209615 | Whittemore | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6256895 | Akers | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6315256 | Tolar | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6321823 | Whittemore | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6375164 | Siegler et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6508295 | Whittemore | Jan 2003 | B2 |
6557808 | Ling | May 2003 | B1 |
6595496 | Langlie et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6598304 | Akers | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6626391 | Kretsch et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6942004 | Whittemore | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6953076 | Whittemore | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6988690 | Hsu | Jan 2006 | B2 |
7073758 | Whittemore et al. | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7108040 | Whittemore | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7111812 | Shannon et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
20010037579 | Akers | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20040031892 | Whittemore et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20060197000 | Meltzer | Sep 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
19946042 | Mar 2001 | DE |
102004045993 | Apr 2006 | DE |
WO 9935465 | Jul 1999 | WO |
WO 03053636 | Jul 2003 | WO |
2004047592 | Jun 2004 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070257170 A1 | Nov 2007 | US |