The present invention relates to a modular paneled partition wall, in particular having glass panes or another pane material.
Dividing a large working or living environment into a plurality of smaller environments by means of modular paneled partition walls which are mounted on site according to a desired plan is known.
Using transparent or translucent glass panes as panels, mounted on borders or frames which surround such panes is also known. Thereby, the environments are brightened and seem a space greater than what they really are.
Due to the fragility of the glass, the background art tends to incorporate the edges of the panes into bulky and sturdy borders, which cover both the edge of the panels as well as part of the side surfaces of the panels themselves as much as possible, so as to protect them from impacts.
This known solution, however, is not free of disadvantages, in fact, the appearance of such walls is heavy, with bulky and sharp-cornered borders at sight.
High-quality design, on the other hand, requires the creation of modular pane partition walls, in particular made of glass, with a clean, linear and light appearance, reducing the visible part of the borders, and possibly making such borders not visible.
This requirement is in contrast with the fragile nature of the fragile pane panels, in particular when made of glass. Furthermore, the most critical areas of fragile panes, for example made of glass, are the edges, since, generally, the cracks are formed at the edges and move more or less rapidly towards the inside of the pane, sometimes entirely running through it and requiring the replacement thereof.
In order to reduce the visible part of the borders, it is not sufficient to reduce the size thereof, since this would cause a reduction in safety when mounting and using such partition walls, making them hardly stable and very fragile.
The need is therefore felt to provide a modular pane paneled partition wall, for example having panes made of glass or of another fragile material, capable of ensuring a high level of safety both during mounting and use, and at the same time capable of making the borders hardly visible, or substantially invisible.
It is an object of the present invention to devise and provide a modular pane paneled partition wall, for example having glass panes or a different fragile material panes, which allows to satisfy the aforesaid requirements and to obviate at least partially the drawbacks complained here above with reference to the background art.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a modular pane paneled wall, for example having glass panes, capable of ensuring a high level of safety both during mounting and use, and at the same time capable of making the borders which outline said wall hardly visible, or substantially invisible.
These and further objects and advantages are achieved by means of a modular paneled partition wall in accordance with claim 1.
Further objects, solutions and advantages are shown in the embodiments described below and claimed in the dependent claims.
The invention will be illustrated below with the description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of explanation and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
With reference to the Figures, a modular paneled partition wall in accordance with the invention is generally indicated with reference numeral 1.
The partition wall 1 defines a wall plane P-P arranged along a main median extension plane of such wall.
The partition wall 1 comprises a first pane panel 101, for example made of glass, parallel to the wall plane P-P, defining a first panel bottom edge 103, an opposite first panel upper edge 104, a first panel thickness S1, and a second pane panel 102, for example made of glass, parallel to the wall plane P-P, defining a second panel bottom edge 105, an opposite second panel upper edge 106, and a second panel thickness S2.
With “pane panel” is intended to means a panel made of a fragile material, for example, made of glass of any color, for example transparent or satin, or made of marble, or stone, or artificial marble of the Corian® type, or another similar material.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first panel 101 and the second panel 102 are flat panels, and, preferably, the first panel thickness S1 is equal to, or substantially equal to, the second panel thickness S2. Preferably, the first panel thickness S1 and/or the second panel thickness S2 is comprised between 8 mm and 16 mm, even more preferably is about 13 mm, even more preferably is 12.76 mm.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first panel 101 and/or the second panel 102 are formed by two glass panes each, stuck to each other along respective surfaces facing and in contact with each other.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first panel 101 and the second panel 102 comprise laminated glass panes with low iron content.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first panel upper edge 104 and the first panel bottom edge 103 are straight edges, preferably parallel to each other.
In accordance with an embodiment, the second panel upper edge 106 and the second panel bottom edge 105 are straight edges, preferably parallel to each other.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first panel 101, defines a first panel height measured between the first panel bottom edge 103 and the first panel upper edge 104, and the second panel 102 defines a second panel height measured between the first panel bottom edge 105 and the second panel upper edge 106, wherein the first panel height is equal to the second panel height.
The wall 1 has a wall bottom edge structure 11 surrounding the first panel 103 and second panel 105 bottom edge.
The wall bottom edge structure 11 comprises a fixed profile 21 adapted to be fixed to a floor, and a movable profile 22 defining a movable profile axis L, and adapted to support the first panel 101 and the second panel 102, wherein the movable profile 22 is parallel to the fixed profile 21 and slidably engaged with the fixed profile 21 along a predetermined adjustment direction A belonging to the wall plane P-P, preferably orthogonal to the movable profile axis L, adjusting means 16 for adjusting the position of the movable profile 22 with respect to the fixed profile 21 according to the predetermined adjustment direction A.
The movable profile 22 defines a first outer longitudinal side 14 of said wall bottom edge structure 11 at least partially parallel to the wall plane P-P, an opposite second outer longitudinal side 15 of said wall bottom edge structure 11 at least partially parallel to the wall plane P-P, a third side 19 arranged between said first outer longitudinal side 14 and said second outer longitudinal side 15, facing the inside of the wall 1 towards a upper edge structure 51, which will be described below.
The movable profile 22 comprises a first bottom channel 12 configured to accommodate the first panel bottom edge 103, and a second bottom channel 13 configured to accommodate the second panel bottom edge 105, the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13 extending from the third side 19 and being parallel to each other and to the wall plane P-P and arranged in the proximity of the first outer longitudinal side 14 and of the second longitudinal side 15, respectively.
In accordance with an embodiment, the wall bottom edge structure 11 comprises a finishing profile 70 interposed between the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13, having a size such as to entirely cover said third side 19 between the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13.
The finishing profile 70 may comprise coupling means for coupling with the third side 19, for example, into seats 29 obtained in said third side 19.
In accordance with an embodiment, the finishing profile 70 has a flat finishing surface 71 exposed towards the inside of the wall, said flat finishing surface 71 being arranged orthogonal to the wall plane P-P and parallel to the movable profile axis L.
In accordance with an embodiment, the flat finishing surface 71 comprises a graphical pattern equal to, or substantially equal to, a graphical pattern of a floor plane 200. In accordance with an embodiment, the movable profile 22 is an extruded profile, preferably made of metal, for example aluminum, or is an extruded profile made of a polymeric material, for example plastic.
In accordance with an embodiment, the fixed profile 21 is an extruded profile, preferably made of metal, for example aluminum, or is an extruded profile of a polymeric material, for example plastic.
The modular partition wall 1 comprises a wall upper edge structure 51 arranged along the wall plane P-P, comprising a first upper channel 52 configured to accommodate said first panel upper edge 104, and a second upper channel 53 configured to accommodate said second panel upper edge 106, said first upper channel 52 and said second upper channel 53 being parallel to the wall plane P-P.
The wall upper edge structure 51 comprises sliding means to allow the sliding of the first panel upper edge 104 and of the second panel upper edge 106, according to the adjustment direction A.
The modular paneled wall 1 comprises a first aluminum gasket profile 17, interposed between the first bottom channel 12 and the first panel bottom edge 103, and a second aluminum gasket profile 18, interposed between the second bottom channel 13 and the second panel bottom edge 105.
Such a first aluminum gasket profile 17 and second aluminum gasket profile substantially resist undeformed to the weight of the pane panel, which generally has a rather high specific weight, but at the same time they adapt to the surface of the first bottom edge and of the second bottom edge of the pane panels, protecting them not only from impacts during installation, but also from concentrated loads which would be applied to discrete points of such surface in the case of even microscopic surface irregularities, from which dangerous cracks may be triggered, which would advance into the pane leading it towards brittle fracture.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13 have a shape specular to each other with respect to the wall plane P-P, and the first gasket profile 17 and the second gasket profile 18 have an equal shape with respect to each other, or have a shape specular to each other with respect to the wall plane P-P.
In accordance with an embodiment, the movable profile 22 has a cross section having a shape symmetrical, or specular, with respect to the wall plane P-P.
In accordance with an embodiment, the fixed profile 21 has a cross section having a shape symmetrical, or specular, with respect to the wall plane P-P.
Preferably, both the movable profile 22 and the fixed profile 21 have respective cross sections symmetrical with respect to the wall plane P-P.
In accordance with an embodiment, the first gasket profile 17 is shaped to adhere both to the first panel bottom edge 103 and to the first bottom channel 12, and the second gasket profile 18 is shaped to adhere both to the second panel bottom edge 105 and to the second bottom channel 13.
In accordance with an embodiment, each of said first bottom channel 12 and said second bottom channel 13 has a channel side which is at least partially open, preferably only partially open as shown in
Thereby, the bottom edge structure 11, while ensuring a safe mounting of the panels, is, in use, hardly visible or not visible when the wall 1 is viewed frontally from one of the faces of the panels 101 or 102.
For example, in the case of the embodiment shown in section in
In accordance with an embodiment, for example shown in
Said side end prominence inferiorly delimits and defines said only partially open side.
At the same time, the side end prominence prevents the panel 101 from disengaging from the seat 12 thereof.
According to an embodiment, as for example shown in
The gasket profile of
In particular, the position of the movable profile 22 may be adjusted according to the adjustment direction A, so that the flat finishing surface 71 of the finishing profile 70, remains aligned and flush with the floor plane 200.
This solution is particularly advantageous since it allows to completely hide the bottom edge structure 11 in the floor 200.
This advantageous effect is maximized in case the flat finishing surface 71 comprises a graphical pattern equal to, or substantially equal to, a graphical pattern of a floor plane 200.
In a similar manner, also in the embodiment shown in
According to an embodiment, shown in
The first gasket profile 17 and the second gasket profile 18 may each comprise a longitudinal upper engagement protrusion 23, 24 adapted to be engaged in a corresponding longitudinal upper slot 125, 126 which enters into said first panel 101 and into said second panel 102 from said first panel bottom edge 103 and from said second panel bottom edge 105, respectively.
The first gasket profile 17 and the second gasket profile 18 may each comprise a longitudinal lower engagement protrusion 27, 28 adapted to be engaged in a corresponding longitudinal lower slot 31, 32 which enters into said movable profile 22 from the bottom of said first bottom channel 12 and of said second bottom channel 13, respectively.
In accordance with an embodiment, the longitudinal upper engagement protrusion 23, 24 and the longitudinal lower engagement protrusion 27, 28 of said first gasket profile 17 and of said second gasket profile 18, respectively, are aligned with each other parallel to the wall plane P-P.
The presence of the longitudinal protrusions which engage into respective seats in the bottom edge of the panels and/or in the bottom channels, ensures a stable and secure locking of the panels with respect to the movable profile 22.
In accordance with an embodiment, shown for example in
Furthermore, the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13 may each define two inclined side flanks 113, 114, 115, 116 parallel to the two inclined longitudinal side surfaces 110, 111, 112, 113, respectively.
The first gasket profile 17 and the second gasket profile 18 may each comprise a flat central portion and two inclined side portions configured to be interposed between, and adhering to, said inclined side surfaces 110, 111, 112, 113 and said inclined side flanks 113, 114, 115, 116.
Such a configuration mainly has two advantages, of which a first advantage is given by the fact that the inclined side flanks 113, 114, 115, 116 form a sliding invitation to position the panel in the correct position thereof, and a second advantage is that of contributing to the stability of the panel mounting in the corresponding channel.
In accordance with an embodiment, for example shown in
Furthermore, as shown, for example, in
According to such embodiment, the first longitudinal side 14 and the second longitudinal side may comprise a flat inclined portion, forming a beveled edge.
In accordance with an embodiment, for example shown in
The first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13 may, for example, define a bottom surface 33, 36, being flat and orthogonal to the wall plane P-P, an inner side abutment surface 34, 37 parallel to the wall plane P-P, an abutment surface 35, 38 extending from the bottom surface 33, 36 parallel to the inner side abutment surface 34, 37, over a height which is lower than the height of the inner side abutment surface from the bottom surface 33, 36 measured orthogonal to the bottom surface 33, 36.
According to an embodiment, for example shown in
In accordance with an embodiment, for example shown in
Thereby, the first outer longitudinal side 14 and the second outer longitudinal side 15 may slide with respect to a seat obtained below the floor plane 200, allowing an adjustment of the position of the movable profile 22 with respect to the fixed profile 21, and therefore of the position of the wall 1.
Between such first outer longitudinal side 14, second outer longitudinal side 15, and the seat obtained below the floor plane 200, one or more layers of occlusion material may be interposed, for example, made of felt or brush-like, which allows to prevent dust or other foreign bodies to be channeled and deposited in the seat obtained below the floor plane.
In accordance with an embodiment, the adjusting means 16 for adjusting the position of the movable profile 22 with respect to the fixed profile 21 comprise a sliding coupling 16′ according to an adjustment direction A between said movable profile 22 and said fixed profile 21, and adjustment screws 16″ with a screw axis arranged parallel to said adjustment direction A.
In accordance with an embodiment, the upper edge structure 51 comprises an upper fixed profile 57, an upper movable profile 58, two side fixing profiles 61, 62 which may be removably fixed to corresponding two opposite sides 63, 64 of said upper movable profile 58, parallel to the wall plane P-P, to form said first upper channel 52 and said second upper channel 53, respectively.
In accordance with an embodiment, the sliding means 56 comprise a sliding coupling 16′ according to the adjustment direction A between said movable profile 22 and said fixed profile 21.
In accordance with an embodiment, the upper edge structure 51 comprises two opposite finishing profiles 65, 66 which may be externally applied to said side fixing profiles 61, 62 so as to externally cover said side fixing profiles 61, 62.
According to another aspect of the invention, the aforesaid objects and advantages are achieved by a method for installing a modular paneled partition wall.
The method comprises the steps of providing a floor defining a floor plane 200, said floor comprising a floor channel entering into said floor from the floor plane 200, and defining a channel bottom surface 202 and two channel side surfaces 201 extending between said channel bottom surface 202 and said floor plane 200, and a step of providing a modular paneled partition wall 1 as described above.
The bottom edge structure 11 of the aforesaid wall comprises a finishing profile 70 interposed between the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13, having a size such as to entirely cover said third side 19 between the first bottom channel 12 and the second bottom channel 13.
Furthermore, the finishing profile 70 has a flat finishing surface 71 exposed towards the inside of the wall 1, said flat finishing surface 71 being arranged orthogonal to the wall plane P-P and parallel to the movable profile axis L.
The method comprises a step of installing the fixed profile 21 on the channel bottom surface 202. For example, the fixed profile 21 may be fastened to the bottom of the channel 202.
The method further comprises a step of adjusting the position of the movable profile 22 with respect to the fixed profile 21 according to the adjustment direction A so as to position the flat finishing surface 71 aligned and flush with the floor plane 200.
In accordance with an embodiment of the method, the flat finishing surface 71 comprises a graphical pattern equal to, or substantially equal to, a graphical pattern of the floor plane 200.
Those skilled in the art, in order to satisfy contingent needs, may modify and adapt the embodiments of the device described above, and replace elements with other functionally equivalent, without departing from the scope of the following claims. Each of the features described as belonging to a possible embodiment may be achieved independently from the other embodiments described.
It should be noted that the Figures are not necessarily in scale.
All of the features described herein and/or any step of the method described herein may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features are mutually exclusive.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102018000009597 | Oct 2018 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2019/058905 | 10/18/2019 | WO | 00 |