Wall panel

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6393783
  • Patent Number
    6,393,783
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, February 22, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 28, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
A wall panel including a rectangular frame, a pair of wall members and a thin decorative sheet covering the wall members. The frame includes two spaced apart, generally parallel vertical frame members. The horizontal frame members are connected to the vertical frame members at opposite ends thereof to form the rectangular frame. In one embodiment, each of the frame members includes a core member and a pair of sidewall member attached to opposite sides of the core member. The wall member are attached to the sidewalls on opposing sides of the frame members. In another embodiment, inner wall members are attached to the opposing sides of the frame members, and outer wall members are thereafter attached to the inner wall member. A decorative sheet covers the outer surface of each outer wall member. The wall panels are connected to each other with a connector member. Light seal members are disposed on one of the wall panel or connector member to span at least a portion of a gap formed between at least a portion of the connected wall panels. Upper walls panels can also be mounted to various configurations of lower wall panels using a variety of connector members. Locator members and openings are provided to locate a wall member on a core assembly. An apparatus and method for positioning the locator members and openings is also provided.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a wall panel system, and in particular, to an improved wall panel, components therefore, a method for making the wall panel and various configurations or systems of wall panels.




Panel systems are commonly used to divide large, open office space into separate work spaces. For example, Herman Miller, Inc., the assignee of the present application, manufacturers and sells two such work space management systems: the ACTION OFFICE® system and the ETHOSPACE® system. Often, wall panels arranged in such systems include an internal frame with a sheet of wall board or comparable material attached to the side of the frame. Typically, the frame is made from roll-formed or extruded metal, with the wall board adhesively secured to the side of the metal frame members. Each side of the wall panel usually is covered with a fabric that is either bonded to the frame, or attached with an elastic band, so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the user.




Adjacent wall panels in the system typically are connected to one another with a variety of connector assemblies. For example, wall panels placed end-to-end commonly are connected to each other, while wall panels oriented perpendicular to each other in a two-way, three-way or four-way configuration typically are connected to a corner post located at the junction of the intersecting panels. Typically, a cover is attached to those sides of the corner post not connected to a wall panel so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing surface that matches the surface of the adjacent panels.




Wall panels often are provided with wire management capabilities, typically including horizontal wire channels positioned at the top and bottom of the panel. Wall panels may also include vertical channels, typically formed by the vertical frame members, that extend between the top and bottom of the panel. Typically, wall panels having a horizontal channel at the top of the panel also provide a top cap to cover the channel. When a corner post is interposed between panels, a cap also is installed on top of the corner post to provide a continuous, unbroken line across the top of a system of wall panels.




Wall panels may also include power distribution systems, whereby the wall panels can be electrically connected so as to provide the user with access to power in each work space created by the system of wall panels.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Briefly stated, one aspect of the invention is directed to an improved wall panel. The wall panel includes a rectangular frame, a pair of sheetlike wall members and two thin decorative sheets. The rectangular frame includes two spaced apart, and generally parallel vertical side frame members and spaced apart and generally parallel horizontal lower and upper frame members. The frame members are connected at opposite ends thereof to form the rectangular frame. The sheetlike wall members, preferably made of fiberboard, have an inner surface attached to the side of each frame member. The thin decorative sheets, preferably cloth, cover the outer surface of the wall members on each side of the panel.




In one embodiment, each of the frame members includes a core member and a pair of sidewall members attached to opposite sides of the core member. The sidewall members preferably include a substantially flat leg portion having an inner surface attached to the core member and an outer surface attached to the wall member. The sidewall member includes an edge portion extending laterally outward from the leg portion. Preferably, the edge portion is configured as a C-shaped channel facing inwardly away from the wall panel surface. When the frame members are assembled into a rectangular frame, the edge portions extend around the periphery of the wall panel. The sidewalls, including the edge portions, form a shallow recess on opposite sides of the panel. Each recess has a bottom surface defined by the outer surface of the leg portions. The wall members are received in the recesses on opposite sides of the panel.




In another embodiment of the wall panel, a pair of inner sheetlike wall members are attached to the rectangular frame to form a core assembly. In this embodiment, the frame members are preferably of a one-piece wooden construction. A pair of outer wall members are then attached to the inner wall members of the core assembly. The outer wall members extend outwardly from the periphery of the inner wall members to form a channel between them.




In one aspect of the invention, the core assembly includes at least one locator opening therethrough. The outer wall members each include at least one locator member that is received in the at least one locator opening as the wall members are mounted to the core assembly. The locator members and openings are arranged on the wall members and core assembly, respectively, so that the wall members are centered on the core assembly from side to side. The locator members and openings can also be arranged so as to ensure that the top of the wall member is positioned a predetermined distance from the top of the core assembly, or channel thereon, so as to provide a uniform and continuous line or appearance along the top of a plurality of wall panels arranged in a system of wall panels.




In another aspect of the invention, a thin barrier sheet, or scrim, is disposed between the decorative sheet and the outer surface of the wall member as a fire blocking member. The barrier sheet preferably includes a thin aluminum foil layer laminated to a fiberglass layer.




The wall panel also includes an inner filler member disposed between the wall members. The filler member extends between the upper and lower horizontal frame members. Preferably, the inner surface of the wall members are attached to the filler member.




In one embodiment of the invention, the sidewall members on the upper horizontal frame member extend upwardly from the upper core member to form a horizontal channel running substantially the length of the wall panel. The bottom of the channel is defined by the upper surface of the upper core member and the sides of the channel are defined by the upwardly extending sidewall members. A top cap is releasably secured to the upper frame member to cover the channel.




In another embodiment, a channel member is attached to the upper horizontal frame member in the space formed between the outer wall members to further define a horizontal channel. A top cap is secured to the channel member to cover the channel.




In one aspect of the invention, the wall panel also includes at least one vertical channel communicating with the upper horizontal channel and a bottom portion of the wall panel. Preferably, the vertical channel is defined by an inner surface of one of the vertical frame members, a partition member spaced apart from the inner surface of the vertical member and the inner surface of the wall member. Preferably, the partition member extends between the inner surfaces of the opposing wall members and is attached to at least one of the wall members. The partition member also extends substantially between the upper and lower frame members.




In another aspect of the invention, a power distribution system is provided at the base of the wall panel. The power distribution system includes a power distribution server, including a harness and a module receptacle, which is attached to a bottom of the lower frame member. The power distribution system is adapted to be electrically connected with power distribution systems located in adjacent panels. In addition, an outlet box is attached to one or more of the wall members between the upper and lower frame members. At least one of the wall members has an opening provided to allow access to the outlet box. The outlet box is electrically connected to the power distribution system with an electrical conduit disposed in the vertical channel.




In another aspect of the invention, a plastic strip is attached to the decorative sheet at each of its edges. The strip includes a first hook member that is adapted to engage the edge portion of the sidewall member of the frame members in one embodiment of the wall panel. Preferably, the strip also includes a second hook member that is adapted to receive a tool member which can be used to stretch the decorative sheet between opposing frame members while simultaneously disposing the first hook member on the edge portion of the side wall.




In an alternative embodiment a strip member is disposed along the periphery of the wall member to protect the edges thereof and is covered with the thin decorative sheet. A plurality of fasteners are used to attach the decorative sheet and strip member to the wall member.




In another aspect of the invention, wall panels placed end-to-end are attached using an upper and lower draw block that engage hanger brackets attached to the ends of the wall panels. A draw rod operably engages the draw blocks which pull the hanger brackets and corresponding panels together.




In yet another aspect of the invention, a corner post is provided for connecting two or more panels at 90°. The corner post includes an elongated tube having a pair of inwardly facing channels formed on each side of the tube. A plate member is secured inside each end of the tube; the upper plate having a threaded hole in the middle of the plate.




The corner post is provided with a height adjustable cap which includes a post member and a cover member supported by the post member. The post member threadably engages the hole in the upper plate and can be rotated to adjust the height of the cover. In this way, the cover can be raised or lowered to provide a smooth transition between adjacent wall panel top caps.




In another aspect of the invention, an outwardly facing groove is formed in each corner of the tube. A cover has diagonally oriented beaded portions. The cover is attached to the corner post by releasably engaging two of the corner grooves with the beaded portions. The corner post cover is used to cover those sides of the corner post not connected to a wall panel, so as to thereby provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.




In another aspect of the invention, one or more upper, stackable wall panels are mounted to one or more lower wall panels, or to a corner post, using a combination of connector members, including various brackets, spanner members, draw blocks and draw rods. In one embodiment, a corner post extension is provided to facilitate the attachment of the upper, stackable panel to a corner post and lower wall panel.




In another aspect of the invention, a variety of seal members are provided for spanning or blocking the gaps formed between adjacent wall panels, or between the corner post and any wall panel attached thereto.




In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for manufacturing the vertical side frame member of one embodiment of the wall panel. In particular, the method includes providing a core member, a pair of sidewall members each having an edge portion, and a hanger bracket. The hanger bracket is attached to the core member. The core member and attached hanger bracket are then positioned in a fixture such that the hanger bracket engages a first surface of the fixture. The sidewall members are positioned in the fixture on both sides of the core member such that the edge portion of each sidewall member engages a second and third surface of the fixture, respectively, positioned predetermined distances from the first surface. The sidewall members are then attached to the core member.




A similar method is provided for making the upper and lower horizontal frame members, wherein the fixture surfaces are positioned to support the edge portion of the sidewall members and the outer surface of the core member.




A method also is provided for manufacturing the various wall panel embodiments. In particular, and with respect to a first embodiment, one of the sheetlike wall members is placed in a fixture. The side frame members and upper and lower horizontal frame members also are positioned in the fixture. The wall member fills the recess formed by the sidewall members on one side of the rectangular frame. Adhesive is applied to one of the sidewall members and wall member before the frame is disposed on the wall member. Adhesive also is applied to both sides of the filler member. One or more partition members is adhesively attached to the inner surface of the wall member so as to form a vertical channel with the inner surface of one of the side core members. The filler member is inserted into the space formed by the frame members and the partition members. The second sheetlike wall member is then disposed in the recess on the opposite side of the frame. The wall members are attached to each frame member with mechanical fasteners. A decorative sheet and barrier sheet are secured over the outer surface of each wall member.




In a second embodiment, the frame members are connected to form a frame. A first pair of inner wall members are attached to the frame, with a filler member and one or more partition members disposed therein, to form a core assembly. Preferably, the first pair of wall members each have a peripheral edge that is substantially flush with the outer surface of the frame members. When assembled, the frame and first pair of wall members form a core assembly. The second pair of wall members are then attached to the first pair of wall members of the core assembly and have at least one peripheral edge that extends beyond the peripheral edge of the inner wall members so as to form a channel therebetween. The decorative sheet and barrier material are secured over the outer surface of the second, or outer, pair of wall members.




In another aspect, a system is provided for centering the outer wall member on a core assembly. The system includes a machine for centering and providing a plurality of locator holes in the core assembly and a machine for centering and disposing a plurality of corresponding locator members on the outer wall members. The outer wall members are then centered on the core assembly by mating the locator members and holes.




The present invention provides significant advantages over other wall panel systems and methods of manufacture. In particular, the frame member, comprising either a three-piece construction of a pair of sidewall members attached to a core member, or a core member by itself, yields a simple, inexpensive structural part that provides several advantages over roll-formed or extruded metal channels. By using a wood core member, the sidewall members can be easily attached to the core with staples, rather than by welding or other more expensive methods of manufacture. Similarly, the wall members can be stapled directly to the frame members, as well as adhesively secured, so as to improve the strength of the panel. In addition, various accessories, such as the power distribution server, can be easily mounted to the bottom of the panel with wood fasteners, without providing mounting holes in the lower frame member. Moreover, the wood can be easily cut to length for each frame member, or shortened so as to provide access to the vertical channel, without wasting material or making complicated cuts or stampings in the sheet metal.




Also important, the three-piece frame member construction allows the manufacturer to provide precise dimensions between the outermost surface of the hanger bracket and the outermost surface of the sidewall members. This dimension is critical when two panels are installed adjacent to each other. For example, when two panels are connected, the adjacent hanger brackets are pulled together by a wedge block, as explained below. When connected in this manner, the panel-to-panel interface, or joint between the panels, is defined by the distance between the adjacent outer surfaces of opposing edge portions covered with fabric. Thus, by maintaining the distance between the outer surface of the edge portion and the hanger bracket as a constant, the joints at each panel interface are kept constant, i.e., have the same gap between panels. Moreover, when a wall panel has a thicker fabric installed around the edge portions, the distance between the edge portion and hanger bracket can be increased so that the gap between panels, when connected, remains the same, regardless of the fabric thickness.




Alternatively, an outer wall member can be centered on a core assembly. In this way, the dimensions between the outer edge of the wall member and the outermost surface of the hanger racket can be maintained relatively constant so as to provide a relatively uniform gap between adjacent wall panels.




The vertical channel also provides significant advantages. For example, wires can be easily routed from the top of the panel to the bottom. The channel also provides ideal passage for the electrical conduit running from the outlet box installed inside the panel. In addition, because the channel is inside of the frame and adjacent to the box, rather than on the outside of the frame, the frame member does not have to be pierced in order to rout the wiring to the outlet box. Moreover, wires disposed in the channel are not exposed when the panels are disconnected and cannot therefore be caught or hooked by the panel-to-panel connectors.




The improved corner post also provides significant advantages over similar devices. For example, the corner post cover is height adjustable, so that it can be adjusted to provide a continuous line across the top of a system of panels. Moreover, the grooves provided in the corner post tube provide a simple but efficient way to attach covers, whether they be flat, or formed at 90°. As such, the orientation of the tube is irrelevant to the placement of connecting panels and/or post covers. Because the tube is symmetrical, the cover and panels can be arranged in any configuration, without having to reorient the tube member.




Yet another significant advantage is the various methods of fabric attachment. In one embodiment, the double-hook strip configuration allows an installer to use a tool to install the fabric. As such, the installer can apply a considerable force to tightly stretch the fabric between opposing frame members to thereby provide a smooth and pleasing appearance. Moreover, the releasable hook allows the user to easily replace the fabric if it becomes damaged or if a color change is desired. The new fabric can be installed quickly and easily without adhesives or difficult to install elastic bands that run around the periphery of the wall panel. Indeed, adjacent panels need not even by disconnected in order to install a new sheet of fabric, thereby avoiding the task of disassembling the panels.




Alternatively, the strip member disposed along the edge of the wall panel protects the edge from impact damage and the like. In addition, the strip member anchors the fasteners used to secure the decorative sheet to the wall member.




Another significant advantage is the ability to install one or more upper, stackable wall panels on one or more lower wall panels or corner posts. In particular, a system of wall panels can be easily and quickly reconfigured to provide more or less privacy by adding one or more upper wall panels without affecting the connection of the lower wall panel (or panels) to adjacent wall panels or corner posts. The combination of spanner members, support brackets, draw blocks and draw rods can be installed or removed quickly and easily with minimum effort, while simultaneously providing a robust, rigid structure.




Finally, the wall panel construction lends itself to improved manufacturability and overall quality. Most importantly, as described above, each frame member can be made with extremely tight tolerances so that the gap between panels is maintained as a constant when the wall panels are assembled as a system. Or, in an alternative embodiment, the wall members can be centered on the core assembly so as to maintain similar uniform gaps. By locating the frame members to outside dimensions in the fixture, the overall panel construction is improved by providing extremely tight tolerances for the height and width of each panel. The improved quality associated with this method of manufacture in turn facilitates and eases installation of the panels while providing an improved overall look for the system.




The present invention, together with further objects and advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of the wall panel.





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of the wall panel with a top cap, base cover and power distribution system.





FIG. 3

is an exploded view of a wall panel end cover.





FIG. 4

is an exploded view of a corner post configuration.





FIG. 5

is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a corner post configuration.





FIG. 6

is an enlarged perspective view of a panel-to-panel light seal.





FIG. 7

is an enlarged exploded view of a corner post cap.





FIG. 8

is a side view of a wall panel.





FIG. 9

is an end view of a wall panel with the power distribution server omitted.





FIG. 10

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


10





10


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 11

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


11





11


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 12

is a bottom view of the wall panel taken along line


12





12


of

FIG. 8

, with the power distribution server omitted.





FIG. 13

is a perspective view of the power distribution bracket.





FIG. 14

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


14





14


of

FIG. 8

with the power distribution server not shown.





FIG. 15

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


15





15


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 16

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


16





16


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 17

is a cross-sectional view of the wall panel taken along line


17





17


of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 18

is a partial perspective view of the top cap.





FIG. 19

is an exploded perspective view of two wall panels placed end-to-end without the fabric installed.





FIG. 20

is a side view of two wall panels connected together without the fabric installed.





FIG. 21

is a side view of the fabric sheet.





FIG. 22

is a cross-section of the strip attached to the fabric.





FIG. 23

is a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of the strip attached to the fabric.





FIG. 24

is a side view of the inside corner of the upper horizontal channel.





FIG. 25

is a perspective view of the power distribution server.





FIG. 26A

is a top view of a wall panel junction showing a three-way connection of power distribution servers located in the adjacent wall panels.





FIG. 26B

is a top view of a wall panel junction showing a two-way connection of power distribution servers located in the adjacent wall panels.





FIG. 26C

is a top view of a wall panel junction showing a four-way connection of power distribution servers located in the adjacent wall panels.





FIG. 27

is a top view of the power distribution server.





FIG. 28

is a perspective view of the upper and lower draw blocks.





FIG. 29

is a perspective view of an alternative configuration of the upper and lower draw blocks.





FIG. 30

is a perspective view of an alternative configuration of the upper and lower draw blocks.





FIG. 31

is a side view of two wall panels connected to a corner post.





FIG. 32

is a top cross-sectional view of three wall panels connected to a corner post.





FIG. 33

is a top cross-sectional view of two wall panels connected to a corner post.





FIG. 34

is a perspective view of a corner post base cover.





FIG. 35

is a perspective view of a draw rod and draw blocks engaging a corner post.





FIG. 36

is a perspective view of a draw rod with a partial end cover.





FIG. 37

is a side view of a draw rod and draw blocks engaging a corner post.





FIG. 38

is an exploded side view of different height wall panels with a draw rod and draw blocks interposed between the panels.





FIG. 39

is a partial inner perspective view of a draw rod with a partial end cover.





FIG. 40

is a partial outer perspective view of a draw rod with a partial end cover.





FIG. 41

is an exploded perspective view of a hanger bracket mounted on a permanent wall.





FIG. 42

is a partial cross-sectional view of the hanger bracket mounted on a permanent wall.





FIG. 43

is a perspective view of a brace member installed on a wall panel.





FIG. 44

is a side view of a brace member installed on a wall panel.





FIG. 45

is a perspective view of a brace member.





FIG. 46

is a perspective view of a fabric installation tool.





FIG. 47

is a top view of the fabric installation tool engaging a fabric sheet on a wall panel.





FIG. 47A

is an partial enlarged view of an installation tool with an alternative blade configuration.





FIG. 48

is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the fabric installation tool.





FIG. 49

is a top view of the fabric installation tool of

FIG. 44

engaging a fabric sheet on a wall panel.





FIG. 50

is a perspective view of a vertical side frame member tool fixture.





FIG. 51

is an end view of the side frame tool fixture with a side frame member installed therein.





FIG. 52

is a schematic of an automated tool fixture for assembling the side frame member.





FIG. 53

is a perspective view of a upper and lower frame member tool fixture.





FIG. 54

is an end view of the upper frame tool fixture with an upper frame member installed therein.





FIG. 55

is a perspective view of the wall panel assembly fixture.





FIG. 56

is a side view of a dual staple gun engaging a wall panel installed in the wall panel assembly fixture.





FIG. 57

is a perspective view of a end cover support bracket.





FIG. 58

is an end view of a wall panel with a power distribution server attached to the bottom of the wall panel as taken along line


58





58


of FIG.


31


.





FIG. 59

is a bottom perspective exploded view of a wall panel and power distribution server.





FIG. 60

is a side view of a core assembly of an alternative embodiment of the wall panel.





FIG. 60A

is a partial view of the wall panel of

FIG. 60

with an alternative positioning of the opening for the support leg.





FIG. 61

is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a wall member.





FIG. 62

is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the wall panel assembly.





FIG. 63

is a vertical, cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the wall panel assembly shown in FIG.


62


.





FIG. 64

is a top view of a top channel.





FIG. 65

is an end view of the top channel.





FIG. 66

is a side view of the protective strip.





FIG. 67

is an end view of the protective strip.





FIG. 68

is an exploded assembly view of a corner post with seal members and a corner post cap.





FIG. 69

is a top view of a seal member.





FIG. 70

is a perspective view of the alternative corner post configuration shown in

FIG. 68

with a cover member being applied thereto.





FIG. 71

is a perspective view of the corner post configuration shown in

FIG. 70

with a cover member being applied thereto.





FIG. 72

is a partial top view of the seal member and cover member.





FIG. 73

is an exploded assembly view of alternative light seal members being applied to a pair of wall panels placed end to end.





FIG. 74

is a partial cross-sectional view of a light seal member disposed on an upper draw block.





FIG. 75

is a side view of a pair of upper wall panels attached to a pair of lower wall panels of equal height positioned in an end to end configuration.





FIG. 76

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a pair of lower wall panels of equal height positioned in an end to end configuration.





FIG. 77

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a short lower wall panel positioned in an end to end configuration with an adjacent tall lower wall panel.





FIG. 78

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a tall lower panel positioned in an end-to-end configuration with an upper wall panel attached to a short lower wall panel.





FIG. 79

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a lower wall panel.





FIG. 80

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a lower wall panel and to a corner post having a corner post extension.





FIG. 81

is a side view of an upper wall panel attached to a lower wall panel and to a corner post without an extension.





FIG. 82

is an exploded perspective view of a lower spanner assembly.





FIG. 83

is a side view of the lower spanner assembly.





FIG. 84

is a top view of the spanner.





FIG. 85

is a side view of the corner post extension.





FIG. 86

is a bottom view of the corner post extension.





FIG. 87

is a top view of upper wall panel support bracket.





FIG. 88

is a side view of the upper wall panel support bracket.





FIG. 89

is an end view of the upper wall panel support bracket.





FIG. 90

is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a lower draw block.





FIG. 91

is a top view of the lower draw block shown in FIG.


90


.





FIG. 92

is an end view of the lower draw block shown in FIG.


90


.





FIG. 93

is an end view of an alternative embodiment of a clip for a cover member.





FIG. 94

is a cover member assembly.





FIG. 95

is a front view of the outlet box mounted in the wall panel using an alternative bracket assembly.





FIG. 96

is an end view of a bracket member used to install the outlet box in the wall panel.





FIG. 97

is a cross-sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG.


95


.





FIG. 98

is a perspective view of a bracket member and a corner post extension.





FIG. 99

is a side view of a core assembly having a pair of locator holes disposed therethrough.





FIG. 100

is a side view of a wall member with a pair of locator members disposed thereon.





FIG. 101

is a plan view of a locator member.





FIG. 102

is a cross-sectional view of the locator member taken along line


102





102


of FIG.


101


.





FIG. 103

is an exploded perspective view of a wall panel assembly.





FIG. 104

is a plan view of a machine used to make locator openings in a core assembly.





FIG. 105

is a partial side view of the machine shown in FIG.


104


.





FIG. 106

is a partial end view the machine shown in FIG.


104


.





FIG. 107

is a plan view of a machine used to dispense and attach locator members to a wall member.





FIG. 108

is a side view of the machine shown in FIG.


107


.





FIG. 109

is an end view the machine shown in FIG.


107


.





FIG. 110

is a side view of a locator dispenser tool.





FIG. 111

is an end view of the tool shown in FIG.


110


.





FIG. 112

is a plan view of the tool shown in FIG.


110


.





FIG. 113

is a plan view of a press conveyor machine.





FIG. 114

is a side view of the machine shown in FIG.


113


.





FIG. 115

is an end view the machine shown in FIG.


113


.





FIG. 116

is an enlarged plan view of the rack and pinion mechanism used in the machines shown in

FIGS. 104 and 107

.





FIG. 117

is an enlarged end view of the rack and pinion mechanism and encoding device.





FIG. 118

is an enlarged side view of the rack and pinion mechanism and encoding device.





FIG. 119

is an exploded perspective view of a corner post extension with a light seal member and corner post cap.





FIG. 120

is an exploded perspective view of a support bracket and a short lower wall panel positioned in an end to end configuration with a tall lower wall panel.





FIG. 121

is an exploded side view of an upper wall panel, a tall lower wall panel, a short lower wall panel, a support bracket member, a spanner member and a connector member.





FIG. 122

is an exploded side view of a pair of upper wall panels, a pair of lower wall panels, a pair of spanner members and a connector member.





FIG. 123

is an exploded perspective view of a spanner member and a pair of lower wall panels.





FIG. 124

is an exploded side view of an upper wall member, a pair of lower wall panels, a spanner member and a connector member.





FIG. 125

is an exploded side view of a lower wall panel, an upper wall panel and connector members including a stand-alone hanger bracket.





FIG. 126

is an exploded perspective view of an upper wall panel supported by a pair of lower wall panels, a pair of end cover brackets and a light seal member.





FIG. 127

is a perspective view of the components shown in

FIG. 126

with an end cover being applied thereto.





FIG. 128

is an exploded perspective view of a stand-along hanger bracket being applied to a tall lower wall panel attached to a short lower wall panel.





FIG. 129

is an exploded perspective view of an end cover, light seal member and top cap being applied to an upper wall panel secured to the tall lower wall panel shown in FIG.


128


.





FIG. 130

is a partial cross-sectional view of two belts supported by the press conveyor machine bed taken along line


130





130


of FIG.


114


.





FIG. 131

is an end view of an alternative embodiment of a lower draw block.





FIG. 132

is an end view of the lower draw block shown in FIG.


131


.





FIG. 133

is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the corner post extension.





FIG. 134

is an end view of an alternative embodiment of a clip for a cover member.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to the drawings,

FIG. 1

shows an improved wall panel


10


including a rectangular frame


12


, a pair of sheetlike wall members


120


and a pair of thin decorative sheets


130


. The frame


12


includes two spaced apart, and generally parallel vertical side frame members


14


and spaced apart and generally parallel horizontal lower and upper frame members


18


,


16


.




Each frame member


14


,


16


,


18


includes an elongated core member


28


,


30


,


32


and a pair of elongated sidewall members


34


,


36


,


38


. Preferably, the core member is made of wood. As used herein, the terms “wood” and “wooden” are intended to have relatively broad meanings, including but not limited to, solid wood and wood products, such as particle board, fiber board and laminated strand lumber. Most preferably, the side core members


28


are made of laminated strand lumber, such as the 38# density material available from TrusJoist/MacMillan Ltd. Partnership in Deerwood, Minn. The horizontal core members


30


,


32


preferably are made of 45# density particle board. Alternatively, other materials, such as foamed polymers or composites, may be used.




Each sidewall member


34


,


36


,


38


includes a substantially flat leg portion


42


,


54


,


56


and edge portion


40


,


58


,


60


respectively. The edge portion


40


,


58


,


60


extends laterally outward from the leg portion


42


,


54


,


56


. Preferably, the sidewall members are made from 12 or 24 gauge steel sheet metal and are roll formed. However, it should be understood that other materials, such as plastic could also be used. Each leg portion has an inner


44


,


45


,


43


and outer surface


46


,


47


,


49


; the inner surface


44


,


45


,


43


engages the side surface of the core member. Preferably, the inner surface


44


,


45


,


43


is mechanically fastened to the side


52


,


53


,


57


of the core member, for example, by using staples


700


, as shown in FIG.


16


. Alternatively, adhesive, nails, rivets or screws can be used to secure the sidewall member to the core member.




As shown in

FIG. 1

, the sidewall members


34


of each vertical frame member include an end portion


68


that extends upwardly past the top end


20


of the side core member


28


along the longitudinal direction of the vertical frame member


14


. The upwardly extending end portions


68


of the sidewall members


34


overlap the sidewall members


36


of the upper frame member


18


, which include leg portions


54


that extend upwardly from the upper frame core member


30


. Each end of the upper frame member sidewall members


36


includes a flange portion


580


stepped inwardly from the leg portion


54


, as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

. The flange portion


580


extends from and is integrally formed with the leg portion. The upwardly extending end portions


68


overlap and are attached to the corresponding stepped flange portions


580


and the wall member


120


, preferably with mechanical fasteners. Because the flanged portion


580


is stepped inwardly, the outer surfaces


46


,


49


are flush. The edge portion


58


of the upper frame member and the edge portion


40


of the vertical frame are mitered at approximately 45° at the point of intersection in order to form a corner.




As shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2


,


9


and


10


, an elongated hanger bracket


70


is mounted to the outer surface


50


of each vertical core member. The hanger bracket


70


includes two spaced apart, inwardly facing channels


72


connected by a bridge portion


74


that is fastened to the core


28


, preferably with a plurality of fasteners


540


. Fasteners


542


also secure each end of each channel


72


to the core member


28


. Each channel


72


has an inner leg


76


, an outer leg


78


and an outer surface member


82


. The inner legs


76


of the channels and the bridge portion


74


form an outwardly facing channel


300


. The outermost corners


84


on each bracket, formed by the intersection of the outer leg and the surface member, have a plurality of slots


86


running the length of the hanger bracket. The outer surface member


82


of the inwardly facing channels


72


defines the outermost surface of each end of the wall panel. The slots


86


in the hanger bracket are adapted to receive and support various components attached to the wall panel. For example, overhead units and work surface bracket supports, not shown in the Figures, typically engage the wall panel at the slots. For example, a cantilever bracket assembly adapted to engage the hanger bracket is described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 60,019,285 entitled CANTILEVER BRACKET ASSEMBLY and filed Jun. 7, 1996, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.




As shown in

FIGS. 2

,


8


,


9


and


44


, the inner surface


43


of the upwardly extending sidewalls


36


on the upper frame member and the outer surface


62


of the upper core member


30


form a horizontal channel


88


which runs the width of the panel. At each end of the wall panel, the upper end


20


of the vertical side core member


28


lies substantially flush with, or slightly higher than, the outer surface


62


of the upper core member


30


so that wires, cables and the like can be passed easily from one panel to the next. In this way, the upper end


20


of the vertical core member


28


helps to define a portion of the bottom of the horizontal channel


88


.




As shown in

FIGS. 43-45

, a brace member


92


can be mounted at each end of the channel to provide additional support for the panel. The brace member


92


includes a pair of sidewall members


94


disposed along the inner surface


45


of the sidewall members. The brace member


92


also includes a bottom plate


97


attached to the end


20


of the core member and a second bottom plate


96


attached to the outer surface


62


of the upper core member


30


. It should be understood that the sidewall members can also be attached to the wall members. An opening


95


is provided between the plates to provide access to a vertical channel


108


. The brace member


92


provides additional support for loads applied laterally to the top or side of the panel. In particular, the brace member helps distribute the load between opposing wall members, the upper frame member and the vertical frame member.




As shown in

FIGS. 2

,


16


and


18


, the top portion of each sidewall leg portion on the upper frame members includes an inwardly facing ridge


98


that runs substantially the length of the upper frame member


18


. Intermittent openings


100


are provided along the top portion. The openings are provided to locate the sidewalls in various tool fixtures during the assembly of the frames and wall panel.




A top cap


110


is attached to the upper frame member


18


. The top cap


110


includes a pair of downwardly facing flanges


112


that have a ribbed portion


114


running the length of the flanges. The ribbed portion


114


engages the ridge


98


formed on the inside of each sidewall member and releasably secures the top cap to the upper frame member. Each of the flanges


112


also includes an edge portion


113


that is angled inwardly from the ribbed portion


114


. The edge portion


113


facilitates installation of the top cap by engaging the ridges on the upper frame member as the top cap is first inserted into the channel


88


. As the top cap


110


is pushed downwardly, the edge portions


113


slide along the ridge so that the flanges are biased inwardly until the ribbed portion engages the ribbed portion


114


. The flanges


112


then spring back to their original position, as the ribbed portion releasably locks the top cap to the upper frame member. In this way, the top cap


110


covers and encloses the channel


88


.




In a preferred embodiment, the ends


102


of the upper core member are spaced apart from the ends


104


of the vertical core member to form an opening


106


between the members near each end of the panel as shown in FIG.


17


. These openings


106


provide access to a vertical channel


108


, or tube, that extends between the upper horizontal channel


88


and the bottom of the wall panel, as shown in

FIGS. 2

,


8


,


10


, and


11


. Each vertical channel


108


is formed and defined by the inner surface


48


of the vertical core member, a partition member


140


that extends between the upper and lower horizontal frame members


16


,


18


and the inner surface


122


of the wall member


120


.




The ends


103


of the lower horizontal core member are spaced apart from the lower end


105


of the vertical core members so as to provide access to the vertical channel


108


from the bottom of the panel as shown in FIG.


12


. In addition, the sidewall members


38


on the lower frame member extend outwardly past the end


103


of the core member along the longitudinal direction of the frame member, as shown in FIG.


1


. The sidewalls


34


are cut away at the lower end


105


of the vertical side core member to provide an exposed portion


550


of the side core member. The outwardly extending bottom sidewall members


38


overlap the exposed portion, and lie flush with the side frame sidewalls


34


. The edge portions


60


,


40


intersect and are mitered at approximately 45° to form a corner. The lower core member


32


also includes a groove


33


running the length of the core member along the middle of the outer surface


66


.




As shown in

FIGS. 10

,


14


and


16


, the edge portions


40


,


58


,


60


of each sidewall member are preferably configured as a C-shaped channel that runs the length of each side wall member. When the frame members are connected, the edge portions


40


,


58


,


60


run substantially around the entire periphery on each side of the panel. Each channel includes an inner leg


116


that extends laterally outward in a perpendicular relationship from the leg portion and an outer leg


118


that defines the outer peripheral edge of the wall panel. A intermediate surface member


124


connects the inner


116


and outer leg


118


. The surface member


124


is in substantially the same plane as the outer surface


126


of the wall member as shown in

FIGS. 14-16

. The inner leg


116


of the edge portion and the outer surface


46


,


47


,


49


of the sidewall leg portions


42


,


54


,


56


define a shallow, outwardly facing recess on each side of the frame. The recess is shaped to receive the sheetlike wall member


120


. Preferably, the wall member


120


substantially fills the recess and is bounded around its periphery by the inner legs


116


of the side walls.




As just described, each wall member is attached to one side of the frame with staples


702


, as shown in FIG.


16


. The wall members stabilize and strengthen the wall panel. Preferably, the wall member


120


is made of ½ inch thick fiberboard, such as the industrial insulation board available from Masonite in Lisbon Falls, Me., which is sanded, ironed and sealed. Preferably, the wall member


120


is tackable, so that a user can attach various items to the wall member with tacks, or the like. Other materials, such as particle board or mineral board are also acceptable. Preferably, the wall member


120


is both adhesively secured to the outer surface


46


,


47


,


49


of the sidewalls and is mechanically fastened to the core members


34


,


36


,


38


through the sidewall members, preferably by stapling. The overlapping portions of the sidewall members


34


,


36


of the vertical frame and the upper frame members are mechanically fastened to each other and to the wall member


120


from the inside out, preferably with screws


121


as described above and shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


8


.




As shown in

FIGS. 1

,


8


and


10


-


11


, a filler member


150


is installed inside the rectangular frame


12


. The filler member


150


is disposed between the wall members


120


and each side of the frame, and extends between the upper and lower horizontal frame members


16


,


18


. In a preferred embodiment, the filler member


150


is a honeycomb structure made from corrugated cardboard. The honeycomb is adhesively secured to the inner surface


122


of each wall member. The honeycomb increases the strength of the panel and provides sound dampening for the panel. Preferably, the honeycomb filler member is bounded along each vertical end by the partition members


140


installed to form the vertical channels


108


. In this way, the vertical channels are separated from the honeycomb filler member.




The partition member


140


includes a mounting flange


142


and a boundary flange


144


as shown in FIG.


1


. Referring to

FIGS. 10 and 11

, the mounting flange


142


is adhesively bonded to the inner surface


122


of one of the wall members


120


. The boundary flange


144


extends between the two wall members


120


and can be attached to the side of the honeycomb filler member.




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, a thin barrier sheet


530


, or scrim, is disposed between the decorative sheet


130


and the wall member


120


. The barrier sheet


530


preferably includes a layer of aluminum foil laminated to a thin layer of fiberglass. The barrier sheet


530


is preferably about 0.005 inches thick and is used as a fiber blocking material. A commercially available barrier sheet is the MANNIGLAS 12077 wet-lay glass fiber mat produced by Lydall Corporation. The barrier sheet can be attached to the wall member with adhesive or mechanical fasteners. Alternatively, the barrier sheet can wrap around the outer leg of the edge portion beneath the decorative sheet, which is attached to the leg with a strip member as described below.




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, each thin decorative sheet


130


is disposed over one of the outer surfaces


126


of the wall members. The decorative sheet is preferably a cloth fabric, although it should be understood that other flexible materials would be suitable for covering the wall panel. Referring to

FIGS. 10

,


14


,


15


and


16


, the sheet is wrapped around the edge portion


40


,


58


,


60


of each sidewall member and is attached to the outer leg


118


of the edge portion. Preferably, a strip


160


is attached to each edge


132


of the sheet. The strip may be sewn to the sheet or adhesively bonded. For example, as shown in

FIGS. 21-23

, the strip is attached with a double-sided tape


162


and sewn to the sheet.




Referring to

FIGS. 21 and 23

, the strip


160


, preferably made from plastic, includes a first hook member


164


adapted to engage the outer leg


118


. The strip


160


is attached to the outer surface


136


of the fabric sheet


130


so that the first hook member


164


faces outwardly towards the edge of the fabric. Before installing the fabric, however, the fabric is folded over as shown in

FIGS. 22-23

so that the strip


160


is positioned along the inner surface


134


of the fabric and so that the first hook


164


faces inwardly away from the folded edge


133


of the fabric. The first hook member


164


is disposed on the outer leg


118


of the edge portion of the sidewall member as shown in

FIGS. 14-16

.




Excess portions of the decorative sheet, or fabric, extend outwardly from each corner of the fabric sheet between the ends of the adjacent strip members to form a corner patch


138


of material as shown in FIG.


21


. The corner patch


138


is tucked inside the eight corners formed by the edge portion channels


40


,


58


,


60


of the vertical, upper and lower frame members as the first hook member is installed on the outer leg of each channel. As shown in

FIG. 24

, a flexible corner block


146


is inserted into intersecting channels


40


,


58


at one of the upper corners to hold the excess fabric, or corner patch


138


, in the channels. Preferably, the corner block


146


is made of foam, although other resilient and flexible materials, such as rubber, may also be used. By tucking the excess fabric, or corner patch


138


, into the channels


40


,


58


, the exterior, exposed corner


148


of the wall panel is covered and provided with an aesthetically pleasing appearance.




In a preferred embodiment, the strip


160


also includes a second hook member


166


. In one embodiment, shown in

FIG. 23

, the second hook member


166


is positioned opposite of the first hook


164


and faces the same direction as the first hook member, i.e., opens inwardly away from the folded edge


133


of the fabric when it is folded over on itself. In a second embodiment, shown in

FIG. 22

, the second hook


168


is positioned at the end of the strip and opens outwardly away from the outer surface


136


of the fabric. In either embodiment, the second hook member


166


,


168


is adapted to allow an installer to stretch tightly the fabric


130


while installing the first hook


164


on the outer leg


118


of the sidewall member.




To facilitate the installation of the fabric


130


, a tool


170


is provided. The tool


170


includes a mounting block


171


, a blade


172


, a handle


174


and a housing


176


as shown in

FIGS. 46-47

. The mounting block


171


is mounted to the housing and includes a lip portion


173


adapted to engage the second hook


168


, and a guide member


175


configured as a hook that is adapted to be disposed around the end of the strip and first hook


164


. The tool also includes a plurality of wheels


180


,


181


rotatably mounted to the housing


176


and adapted to rotatably engage the side of the wall panel as the tool is moved around the periphery of the panel while engaging the strip


160


.




To install the sheet of fabric, at least one edge


132


is installed by disposing the first hook


164


on one of the sidewall member outer legs


118


as shown in

FIGS. 14-16

. The installer then engages the fabric with the tool by inserting the lip portion


173


in one of the second hooks


166


,


168


on one of the remaining strips, as shown in

FIG. 47

, and moves the tool along the edge of the wall panel. As the tool moves along the edge of the panel, the lip portion


173


, which is inserted into the second hook


168


as the guide member


175


encircles the end of the strip, pulls the strip inwardly so that the first hook


164


can be inserted onto the outer leg


118


as the end of the strip and first hook passes through the space between the core member, or hanger bracket, and the free edge of the outer leg


118


. The blade


172


includes an edge


180


that is adapted to engage the strip and force the hook member past the outer leg. Thus, the installer uses the tool


170


to stretch the fabric


130


and force the first hook


164


of the strip past the end portion and dispose it on the outer leg


118


. It should be understood that various tool configurations would work equally well for stretching and mounting the fabric sheet.




In another embodiment, the tool includes a second blade member


710


having an edge


602


, as shown in FIG.


47


A. The blade member


710


is adapted to engage the second hook and install the first hook on the sidewall as described above with the lip portion. As shown in

FIG. 47A

, the barrier sheet


530


is wrapped around the outer leg


118


and secured to the sidewall beneath the first hook.




As shown in

FIGS. 48-49

, yet another embodiment of the tool


182


includes a handle member


184


having a curvilinear surface grip


185


, a surface member


552


, a mounting block


554


having a lip portion


556


and a blade


186


. As just described, the lip portion engages the second hook, while the blade pushes the strip, and first hook, against the outer leg


118


. The surface member is preferably made of plastic, such as Delrin, so that it slides easily along the edge of the panel without damaging or tearing the fabric. This embodiment could also employ a second blade member as just described. It should also be understood that alternative embodiments, such as a simple putty knife, also can be used to engage the second hook, stretch the fabric and dispose the first hook on the outer leg of the edge portion.




The strip and hook arrangement disclosed herein is ideally suited for attaching fabric to a wall panel. For example, if the fabric were to become stained, worn or torn, an installer can remove the fabric quickly and easily by using a tool in the opposite manner as described above to disengage the first hook from the outer leg on the sidewall member. Moreover, the fabric can be removed while the panel is connected to adjacent panels if using a tool that can be inserted into the gap between the panels to engage the second hook member. This provides significant advantages over the prior art fabric attachments, which were either permanently secured to the panel or were retained by an elastic band running around the periphery of the panel. In either configuration, the panel had to be disconnected from the adjacent panels so as to access and remove the band or to remove the adhesive.




It should also be understood by one skilled in the art that the strip and hook fabric attachment device can also be used to secure fabric to objects besides wall panels, such as chairs, cabinets, etc. All that is needed is an edge on which to secure the hook member. Thus, the attachment of the fabric to the wall panel as described above is meant to be illustrative rather than limiting.




The lower horizontal frame member, shown in

FIGS. 12

,


14


,


58


and


62


, includes a mounting strip


190


and a bracket


200


mounted to the outer surface


66


of the lower core member. As shown in

FIG. 14

, the outer surface


66


preferably extends below the end portions of the sidewalls. The side surface


67


of the portion of the lower core member extending below the leg portion of the sidewall member is stepped inward to permit the hook member on the strip to be installed on the outer leg. The groove


33


runs along the outer surface of the core member.




The bracket


200


includes several tab members


202


which are adapted to engage and support a power distribution server


220


, including an electrical power harnesses


222


, as shown in

FIGS. 2 and 59

. Referring to

FIGS. 12 and 13

, the tab members


202


form slots


203


that receive bracket hooks


560


extending upwardly from the power distribution server as shown in FIG.


59


. In operation, the harness


222


is installed by sliding the bracket hooks


560


into the slots


203


until the end of the bracket


560


passes a resilient locking tab


578


which springs downwardly to releasably secure the harness


222


on the bracket


200


. When the wall panel is particularly long, the bracket may also include stabilizer brackets


570


that extend downwardly from the bracket and include two arms that engage the harness.




Referring to

FIGS. 25-27

, the harness includes a receptacle bracket


566


, a spring tab


572


and a plurality of module bracket hooks


574


. A plurality of receptacle modules


226


are secured to the harness by engaging the bracket hooks


574


with mounting lugs


564


disposed on the module. Each module


226


is electrically connected to the harness


222


at one of a four receptacle ports


576


. Similarly, conduit


276


from an outlet box installed in the panel, as described below, preferably includes a connector that can electrically engage one of the receptacle ports in place of a receptacle module. For a complete description of the power distribution server, including the power harnesses, one is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,252, issued to Neinhuis et al. on May 7, 1991, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The harness also includes electrical connector ports


224


positioned at the end of the harness and which provide a means for electrically connecting adjacent panels, such that a first panel receives power from a second panel. A commercially available harness, Model No. 225409, is sold by PENT Assemblies of Kendallville, Ind.

FIGS. 26A-C

show various configurations of panels electrically interconnected. In this way, an entire system of panels can be electrically connected and provide power to users at individual work spaces.




Referring to

FIGS. 14 and 62

, the mounting strip


190


is disposed between the bracket


200


and the core member


32


. The mounting strip


190


has a pair of elongated grooves


194


running longitudinally along the edges of the mounting strip


190


. The mounting strip supports a base cover


230


. The base cover


230


includes a pair of side walls


232


and a bottom wall


234


, as shown in

FIGS. 14

,


15


and


62


. The side walls


232


and bottom wall


234


are hinged along the longitudinal length of the base cover, preferably by using a flexible hinge material


236


. The cover members can also be mechanically hinged. The upper portion of each wall includes a beaded flange


238


that is disposed in the groove


194


in the mounting strip. When mounted on the mounting strip, the base cover


230


forms and defines a horizontal channel for storing and protecting cables and wires beneath the panel. The lower horizontal channel also provides a concealed passage way for the cables and wires as they pass from one panel to the next.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, the bottom wall


234


of the base cover includes a slot


240


at each end which is adapted to receive a support leg


250


extending down from the vertical frame members


14


, as explained below. The side walls


232


extend between the lower edge of the wall panel and the floor and include openings


242


adapted to allow a user to access outlets in the modules


226


secured to the power distribution server, which is mounted to the bottom of the lower frame member. Each end of the side wall


232


on the base cover includes a flexible strip


244


that extends outwardly from the end of the panel. When two panels are installed end-to-end, the opposing flexible strips


244


overlap and conceal the gap between the panels.




Referring to

FIGS. 2 and 15

, the wall panel is supported on and spaced apart from the floor by a support leg


250


attached to each vertical frame member


14


. A support bracket


260


is mounted to the bottom of each core member


28


on the inner surface


48


of the core member. The bracket


260


is mounted in the space


106


provided between the end of the lower core member and the bottom end of the vertical core member, as shown in FIG.


12


. The bracket


260


includes a U-shaped sleeve portion


262


and a pair of flanges


264


. The flanges


264


are fastened to the inner surface of the core member


28


such that the sleeve portion


262


forms an opening


266


with the surface of the core member.




The support leg


250


includes a shaft


252


having a shoulder


254


and a foot


256


. An upper portion of the shaft is received in the opening


266


formed by the support bracket and core member until the shoulder


254


of the shaft engages the bottom of the


260


bracket. The bottom of the shaft


252


is threaded and threadably engages the foot member


256


whereby the height of the wall panel can be adjusted by rotating the foot


256


relative to the shaft


252


.




An alternative construction of the wall panel is shown in

FIGS. 60-63

. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, parts and assemblies previously described above with reference to other wall panel constructions are referred to and identified by the same reference number. As best illustrated in

FIG. 62

, the wall panel includes a core assembly


800


and a pair of outer sheetlike wall members


920


. The core assembly is shown in

FIG. 60

, and includes upper and lower horizontal frame members


816


,


818


and vertical side frame members


814


. Each frame member is preferably made of wood and has a rectangular cross section, similar to the core members


28


,


30


,


32


of frame member


14


,


16


,


18


without sidewall members attached thereto. Opposite ends of the vertical frame members are attached to opposite ends of the horizontal frame members with fasteners, adhesive, and/or the like. The upper and lower horizontal frame members


816


,


818


each have a pair of openings


806


that provide access to a pair of vertical channels. Similar to the construction of the wall panel shown in

FIGS. 1-2

and


8


-


12


, a filler member


150


is disposed between the upper and lower horizontal frame members, while partition members


140


extend between the filler member and the vertical side frame members to form a pair of vertical raceways


108


. A first and second sheetlike inner wall members


820


are mounted to opposite sides of the filler member and frame members to complete the core assembly with adhesive, such as glue, and/or mechanical fasteners. The wall members


820


are preferably made of a relatively thin hardboard, e.g., ¼ inch, although other thicknesses would also work. The wall members close off and form the vertical raceways


108


inside the core assembly. The periphery or edges of the wall members


820


, preferably lie flush with, or inward from, the outer surface


50


,


62


,


66


of the frame members.




As shown in

FIG. 60

, a hole


822


is positioned through the lower horizontal frame member and is shaped to receive the shaft


252


of the support leg. A stiffener block


824


can be inserted inside the core assembly at each of the junctures of the lower frame member and the side frame members to strengthen the panel and to provide further support for the support leg shaft. Alternatively, as shown in

FIG. 60A

, the hole is positioned in the end of each vertical frame member and extends longitudinally therein. The shaft


252


of the support leg is press fit into the hole. A stiffener


826


, preferably a piece of plywood, can also be mounted to the inner surface of the vertical frame member to prevent the frame member from splitting when the support leg is installed. The plywood is secured to the frame member with adhesive and/or by fasteners used to install the hanger member


70


to the outer surface of the frame member, as described above. The fasteners extend through the frame member on opposite sides of the hole and thereby help to support the frame member around the shaft so as to prevent the frame member from splitting.




Referring to

FIG. 61

, a plurality of protective strip members


922


(shown as four) are positioned around the periphery of wall member


920


. Each strip member, shown in

FIGS. 66 and 67

, is L-shaped and has a long flange and a short flange. The short flange


924


, which has a length substantially the same as, or slightly less than, the thickness of the wall member, is disposed along the edge


932


of the wall member to protect it from impact damage and the like. The long flange is disposed along the inner surface of the wall member. The strip members


922


preferably run the length of the edge of the wall member upon which they are disposed, although it should be understood that a plurality of strip members having shorter lengths could be placed end to end to cover the entire length of the wall member edge. The ends


928


of the long flange are tapered, or mitered, to mate with the ends of adjacent strip members at each corner of the wall member. As shown in

FIGS. 61 and 62

, a thin decorative sheet


930


, preferably a fabric, is then applied over the panel, with a barrier sheet


530


inserted therebetween if desired. The decorative sheet is attached to the wall member by applying a plurality of fasteners


934


through the decorative sheet and strip members and into the wall member as shown in FIG.


62


. The strip members


922


anchor the fasteners, shown as staples, and help prevent the decorative sheet from being pulled from the wall member. The strip members


922


cab be attached to the wall member using the fasteners


934


for attaching the decorative sheet, or they can first be attached to the wall member using additional fasteners or adhesive.




After the decorative sheet is mounted to the wall member, each wall member


920


is mounted to the core assembly using an adhesive, preferably a hot melt, applied between the wall member


920


and the wall member


820


of the core assembly. Alternatively, or in combination with the adhesive, the wall members


920


can also be mounted to the core assembly with fasteners, such as barbed fasteners, nails, staples and the like. When installed, the periphery, or edges, of the wall members


920


extends beyond the periphery of the wall member


820


along the top and sides of the core assembly so as to form channels along three sides of the wall panel, with the channel formed along the top of the panel preferably being the deepest. The wall members can also overhang or extend beyond the bottom periphery of the wall member


820


so as to form a channel along the bottom of the wall panel. Hanger brackets


70


are disposed in the relatively shallow channels along the sides of the wall panel and are secured to the vertical side frame members such that the slots


86


of the hanger brackets are exposed beyond the edge of the wall members


920


. The slots


86


are configured to receive and support various components.




As shown in

FIG. 103

, the wall member


920


can be centered on the core assembly


800


from side to side such that there is an equal overhang of the wall members on each side of the wall panel. The centering of the wall members on the core assembly provides an equal exposure of the hanger brackets


70


, and slots therein, on each side of the wall panel. In particular, and referring to

FIGS. 99 and 103

, the core assembly


800


has a pair of locator openings


1230


,


1232


bored therethrough along the centerline of the panel. The upper locator opening


1230


is preferably circular, while the lower locator opening


1232


is preferably slotted along the vertical direction. Preferably, the upper locator opening has a ½ inch diameter, while the lower locator opening is ½ inch side and 1¼ inches long. Obviously, it should be understood that other diameters and sizes would also work. It should also be understood that the location of the circular and slotted openings could be interchanged, or that both openings could be circular or slotted, or assume any other shape, including for example a rectangular or triangular shape. The term “opening” as used herein is meant to include a hole, recess, bore, hollow, notch or similar passage, and is not limited to an opening extending all of the way through the core assembly, or even the wall member, but may alternatively extend only partially thereinto. Moreover, it should be understood that one or more locator openings, and preferably more than one, can be used to locate the wall member


920


on the core assembly, and that the disclosure of two locator openings is meant to be illustrative, rather than limiting. Preferably, the upper locator opening is keyed off of or located a predetermined with respect to the top of the core assembly, or a channel attached thereto. For example, in one embodiment, the locator openings are keyed off of or located a predetermined distance from the upper surface of the ridges on the channel, which surface acts as a reference.




Referring to

FIGS. 100 and 103

, the wall member


920


includes two locator members


1234


, which are receive in the locator openings. The locator members


1234


are attached along the centerline of the wall member


920


. The upper locator member is received in the upper locator opening which is circular and dimensioned to receive the locator member without play so as to determine the top-to-bottom positioning of the wall member with respect to the core assembly. The lower locator opening, which is slotted, can accommodate some tolerance buildup, or other slop, in the placement of the locator members along the vertical axis, as it is not intended to locate the wall member along the vertical direction, but is dimensioned to closely receive the locator member in the lateral or side-to-side direction so to prevent any play therealong. In this way, the upper and lower locator member and openings work in combination to center the wall member on the core assembly from side-to-side, while the upper locator member and opening position the wall member on the core assembly from top to bottom.




Each locator member includes a base portion


1236


and a post member


1238


extending outwardly therefrom. The post member


1238


has a rounded nose portion


1239


that facilitates its insertion into the locator openings positioned in the core assembly. The locator members are preferably made of high density polyethylene, although it should be understood that other materials, including other types of plastic, wood or metal would also work. The post member


1238


is shaped to be received in the locator holes


1232


,


1234


, and preferably has a length less than one half the thickness of the core assembly so that the post members


1238


on the opposing wall members


920


can be inserted in the same locator openings


1232


,


1234


from both sides of the core assembly.




The base portion


1236


, which is preferably flat, circular and relatively thin, is attached to the inner surface of the wall member


920


with a plurality of mechanical fasteners, such as staples, nails or the like. Alternatively, or in combination with the mechanical fasteners, the bottom surface of the base portion can be attached to the wall member with an adhesive or the like, including for example a two sided tape, glue or other bonding agent.




Preferably, the upper locator member is keyed off of or located a predetermined distance from the top edge of the wall member, which acts as a reference. The location of the upper locator member is correlated to the location of the upper locator opening with respect to the top of the core assembly, or channel thereon, such that a uniform appearance is provided from wall panel to wall panel when the core assembly and wall member components are assembled to form the wall panels.




It should be understood that the predetermined distance between the upper locator opening and the top of the core assembly, or channel, and the predetermined distance between the locator member and the top edge of the wall member are not by themselves (individually) important. Rather, one of skill in the art should understood that it is the relationship between the two predetermined distances that is important, as it is that relationship that ensures that the wall member is properly located on the core assembly from top to bottom. Thus, the predetermined distance of the locator opening from the its reference, whether it be the top of the core assembly, or a surface on the channel attached thereto, refers to any distance arbitrarily set, but preferably calculated so that the upper locator opening is below and does not pass through the upper horizontal frame member. The predetermined distance of the locator member from the top edge of the wall member is then calculated so as to ensure that the wall member extends a certain distance above the core assembly, and preferably to the top of the channel attached thereto. Conversely, the predetermined location of the locator member can first be calculated, with the predetermined location of the locator opening thereafter set.




When attaching the wall member


920


to the core assembly


800


, the locator members


1234


are disposed in the locator openings


1230


,


1232


, which are dimensioned to receive the locator members, so as to ensure that the wall member is centered on the core assembly from side to side. In addition, the upper locator opening, which is preferably not slotted and therefore controls the position of the upper locator member, ensures that the top edge of the wall member is also located a predetermined distance with the respect to the top of the core assembly, or the channel member attached thereto, as the locator member is received in the upper locator opening. Although the locator members and openings are shown as being located along the centerline of the wall member and core assembly respectively, it should be understood that the locator members and holes could be located off the center line and still function to center the wall member on the core assembly as long as the location of the locator members and openings are keyed off the side surfaces of the wall member and core assembly so as to provide an equal overhang as explained above.




One of skill in the art should also understand, as explained in more detail below, that the locator members and openings could be reversed, with the locator members attached to the core assembly, and with the locator openings disposed in the wall members.




As shown in

FIGS. 62-65

,


99


and


103


, the top channel member


940


, or liner, is mounted to the top of the upper horizontal frame member


816


in the channel formed between the upper portions of the opposing wall members


920


. The channel member can be attached to the upper horizontal frame member with fasteners, adhesive, or a combination thereof, before or after the wall members are secured to the core assembly. As with the sidewalls of the upper frame member described above, each leg


942


of the top channel includes an inwardly facing ridge


944


or lip portion that engages the ribbed portion


114


of the top cap


110


. In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the ridge


944


serves as the reference for locating the position of the upper locator opening. The top channel also includes a pair of openings that are aligned with the openings


946


in the upper frame member and the vertical raceway


108


beneath it. The top channel member can be made of plastic, metal or any other suitable material.




In a preferred embodiment, an outlet box


270


is installed inside the wall panel frame between the upper and lower frame members


16


,


18


,


816


,


818


. As shown in

FIGS. 8 and 1



1


, the outlet box


270


is first attached, preferably with bolts, to a plate member


272


, preferably a piece of hardboard. The plate member


272


is then attached, preferably by adhesive bonding, to the upper surface


122


of one of the wall members. The opposite wall member has an opening


274


aligned with the outlet box


270


so as to allow the user access to the box. An outlet cover


275


can be installed over the opening. The outlet box is electrically connected to the power distribution server with an electrical conduit


276


that is disposed in the vertical channel


108


, as described above. Outlets, which are not shown, are installed in the outlet box. It should be understood that the same or similar box can be installed to provide access to data and communication wiring and cables. The outlet box also can be field installed by cutting a hole in one of the thin sheets, the barrier sheet and the wall member.




In an alternative embodiment, the outlet box can be installed using a bracket that is mounted inside the panel as shown and described in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/892,016, entitled Mounting Bracket Assembly for an Outlet Box and filed Jul. 14, 1997, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.




In yet another alternative embodiment, shown in

FIGS. 95-97

, a pair of brackets


950


each include a flange portion


952


and a hook portion


954


extending laterally from the flange portion. The flange portion


952


is attached to the wall member


820


of the core assembly with a pair


956


of fasteners. The wall member


920


is then laid over the flange portion


952


and attached to the wall member


820


as described above. The hook portion engages an outwardly facing edge of the outlet box and holds the back of the outlet box against the inner surface of the opposing wall member


820


.




The wall panels can be connected to form a system of panels that defines and divides large office spaces into work spaces. For example, the wall panels can be connected end-to-end in a simple linear arrangement as shown in

FIGS. 19 and 20

. In such an arrangement, the panels are positioned adjacent to each other such that opposing outer surfaces


80


of the hanger brackets are in a proximal relationship. A connector member connects the adjacent hanger brackets and generally includes an upper and lower draw block and a draw rod, although, as explained below, other connector member confirmations can further include a corner post, or can be configured as a hanger bracket. For example, as shown in

FIGS. 28-30

, an upper draw block


280


is provided which has a downwardly facing V-shaped draw surface


282


defined by four wedge members


284


. The upper draw block


280


includes a middle portion


286


that has a hole


288


. Similarly, a lower draw block


290


has an upwardly facing V-shaped draw surface


292


defined by four wedge members


294


. A draw rod


296


connects the two draw blocks


280


,


290


.




Referring to

FIGS. 19-20

, the upper draw block


280


is positioned such that the wedge members


284


engage the top edge


298


of the hanger bracket on the adjacent panels by inserting the wedge members


284


into the inwardly facing channels


72


. The middle portion


286


of the draw block is disposed in the space formed between the outwardly facing channels


300


, which is formed by the inner legs of the channel and the bridge portion.




Similarly, the lower draw block


290


is inserted into the bottom end of the channels


72


such that the wedge members


294


engage the bottom edge


302


of the hanger bracket


70


and the middle portion is received in the space formed by the channels


300


. The draw rod


296


is rotatably connected to the lower draw block and threadably engages the upper draw block. Alternatively, the draw rod can be rotatably secured to the upper draw block and threadably secured to the lower draw block, or it can be threadably secured to both. The draw rod is disposed in the space formed by the two outwardly facing channels


300


of the opposing hanger brackets as shown in

FIGS. 32-33

. When rotated, the draw rod threadably engages the upper draw block, pulling it closer to the lower draw block. As the draw rod is tightened, the draw surfaces


282


,


292


of the draw blocks operably engage the ends


298


,


302


of the hanger brackets and pull the hanger brackets together. In an alternative embodiment shown in

FIG. 29

, the draw blocks include a flat surface


304


between the wedge members


306


. When drawn together, the ends of the hanger brackets engage the flat surface


304


, wherein the hanger brackets are locked into position between the wedge members.




As shown in

FIG. 30

, one embodiment of the draw blocks includes a landing


308


and a tang member


310


extending from the landing on one side of the opening


288


. This configuration facilitates the installation of the draw blocks and draw rod. In particular, the installer can rest the land portion


308


of the upper draw block on the bridge portion


74


of one of the hanger brackets, while the tang member


310


is disposed in the channel


300


to align the draw block with the hanger bracket. In this way, the connector assembly, i.e., the draw rod and two draw blocks, can be positioned and retained by a first panel as the second wall panel is moved into place next to the first panel. The draw rod


296


and blocks


280


,


290


can then be lifted up and aligned with the channels


72


on the ends of both panels. The draw rod


296


is then tightened as explained above so as to connect the two panels.




As shown in

FIGS. 4-5

and


31


-


33


, two or more panels can also be connected in a perpendicular relationship. In such a configuration, the connector member further includes a corner post


320


installed between adjacent panels and one or more pairs of draw rods and upper and lower draw blocks connecting the panels to the corner post. The corner post


320


includes a substantially square, elongated tube


322


and an upper and lower plate


324


,


326


mounted inside each end of the tube, preferably by welding. Each plate


324


,


326


includes a threaded hole


328


in the middle of the plate. A pair of inwardly facing channels


330


are formed longitudinally along each side of the tube


322


. The inwardly facing channels


330


also form an outwardly facing channel between them. Preferably, the tube


322


is made from two overlapping C-shaped pieces


332


,


334


welded together as shown in

FIGS. 32-33

.




Referring to

FIGS. 4 and 5

, each corner of the tube includes an outwardly facing groove


336


that runs longitudinally along the length of the tube


322


. As shown in

FIGS. 32 and 33

, the groove


336


is preferably formed by the outer legs of the channels


330


, which are joined at the corners of the tube at approximately 90°.




As shown in

FIG. 31

, each wall panel is connected to the corner post in the same way as described above. An upper and lower draw block


280


,


290


engage the top and bottom edge of the two channels


330


on the side of the tube and the two channels


72


of the hanger bracket mounted on the side of the wall panel being connected. The draw rod


296


connecting the draw blocks, is tightened to pull the draw blocks together and to pull the wall panel towards the corner post so that the hanger bracket engages the side of the tube. It should be understood that one, two, three or four wall panels can be connected to the corner post at any time depending on the desired configuration.




As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 33

, when two wall panels are connected to the corner post


320


at 90°, the opposing two sides of the corner post are concealed by an V-shaped cover member


340


adapted to be disposed on the adjacent, perpendicular sides of the corner post. The cover member


340


includes two wall members


341


joined in a substantially perpendicular relationship. The cover member


340


includes a beaded portion


342


running longitudinally along the side edges


344


of the cover. The beaded portions


342


are adapted to engage the outwardly facing groove


336


formed along each corner of the tube


322


. The beaded portion


342


extends diagonally inward from the cover at approximately 45°. A tab


343


is formed along the inside of the beaded portion. The tab buts up against the top edge of the tube so as to ensure that the cover member is located at the proper height along the length of the tube. In addition, a patch or similar marker can be attached to the inside of the cover member to indicate which end is up. The upper end of the cover member includes a horizontal flange portion


345


. The cover member


340


includes an outer layer of fabric


346


that matches the thin sheet of fabric disposed on the adjacent wall panels.




When two wall panels are arranged in a 180° relationship on opposite sides of the tube, a flat cover member


348


can be installed on one or both of the exposed sides of the tube


322


as shown in

FIGS. 4 and 32

. The flat cover member


348


includes diagonally facing beaded portions


350


running longitudinally along its length. In addition, the flat cover member


348


includes a locator tab member


343


and a upper horizontal flange


345


.




Referring to

FIG. 4

, a support member


352


is attached to the bottom of the tube member


322


. The support member


352


includes a base portion


354


, a leg


356


and a foot


358


. The base portion


354


is attached to the lower plate


326


secured in the bottom end of the tube


322


. A base cover


360


is installed on the support member


352


to conceal the support member


352


and the space below the panel. The base cover


360


extends between the base portion


354


and the foot


358


. The foot


358


includes a bottom member


362


and a pair of cylindrical lug members


364


positioned on opposite sides of the bottom member


362


. The base portion


354


includes slotted portions


366


positioned on the same side as the lug members


364


. The base cover


360


includes upwardly facing tab members


368


that engage the slotted portions


366


and a pair of flange members


368


that engage the lug members. The leg


356


is preferably a thin shaft that allows cables and wires to pass between the leg


356


and base cover


360


as they are passed between adjacent panels. In this way, the cover


360


forms part of the lower horizontal channel. It should be understood that the support does not engage the floor, but rather is provided to support the base cover member, which conceals and protects wires in the lower channel.




When two panels are attached to a corner post at 90°, the support does not include a foot. In this arrangement, the support includes a base portion


372


and a leg


374


as shown in FIG.


5


. The base cover


376


, shown in

FIG. 30

, includes two walls


378


, a base plate


380


and a guide plate


382


. The base portion


372


includes a slot


384


and two tab members


386


on two sides of the base portion. A lip portion


388


is positioned on the top of each base cover wall


378


. When installed, the lip portion


388


is inserted into the slot


384


as the two tab members


386


engage the bottom of the lip


388


to releasably secure the base cover


376


to the base portion


372


. The guide plate


382


extends between the walls


378


and lies parallel to the base plate


380


. The guide plate


382


includes a slot


384


adapted to receive the leg


374


of the support. The base plate


380


includes an opening


390


that is adapted to receive an end of the leg, which includes a lug


392


. In this way, the base cover is supported by the support base portion and is stabilized by the leg.




As shown in

FIGS. 4

,


5


and


7


, the corner post


320


also includes a cap assembly


400


adapted to span the gap between adjacent top caps


110


installed on top of each wall panel. Preferably, the cap assembly


400


is plastic.

FIGS. 4

,


5


and


7


show the cap assembly which includes a post member


420


. The post member


420


has a threaded end


404


that threadably engages the threaded hole


328


in the upper plate


324


secured in the end of the tube


322


. The cap


400


also includes a base member


406


, a lock member


408


and a cover member


410


. The base member


406


includes a step portion


412


on each side of the base and a primary post member


414


extending upwardly from the middle of each side of the top surface


416


of the base member. Each primary post member


414


includes a shaft portion


418


and a head portion


420


. Each primary post member


414


is slotted so as to make the head and shaft portions flexible and resilient. Two secondary post members


424


, positioned on opposite sides of the primary post member, extend upwardly from each step portion


412


of the base member. A cylindrical sleeve portion


426


extends downwardly from the bottom of the base member


406


. An opening


407


is formed in the base member and overlies the cylindrical sleeve portion


426


. The sleeve portion


426


is adapted to receive the top of the post member


402


, so that the post member supports and rotatably engages the base member


406


. The post member


420


includes a slot


409


, or other configuration for receiving a tool, such that the post member


420


can be accessed through the opening


407


and rotated from above the base member


406


. Alternatively, the post member includes is ribbed such that the shaft thereof is grippable and can be gripped and rotated by a user. The post member


402


allows the height of the corner post cap to be adjusted as it threadably engages the upper plate


324


in the tube


322


. In addition, the post member


420


is slender so that cables, wires and the like can be disposed around the post member as they pass from the upper horizontal channel


88


of one panel to the next.




The lock member


408


is rectangular and includes openings


428


adapted to receive the secondary post members


424


. The lock member


408


also includes four openings


430


adapted to receive the head and shaft of the primary post member


414


. A shoulder is disposed inside each opening so that when the primary post member is inserted into the opening, the head extends through the plate member and engages the shoulder to thereby releasably secure the plate member to the base member. The cover member


410


is releasably secured to the top of the lock member


408


. The cover member


410


is attached to the lock member with a two-sided tape or adhesive mechanical, although it should be understood that other mechanical fasteners could also be used. Alternatively, the cover member and lock member can be integrally formed as a single member.




Referring to

FIGS. 3-7

, a light seal member


432


is provided to connect the top cap on the wall panel with the corner post cap. The light seal member


432


includes a mounting flange


434


having two holes: a slotted hole


436


and a round hole


438


. The holes


436


,


438


are adapted to receive the secondary post members


424


. The mounting flange


434


also includes a semicircular cut-away portion


440


. The light seal member


432


is installed on the base member


406


by inserting the secondary post members


424


into the openings


436


,


438


in the mounting flange


434


. The bottom of the mounting flange


434


engages the step portion


412


so that the top of the flange lies flush with the top surface of the base member


406


. The cut-away portion


440


is disposed around the primary post member


414


. The lock member


408


is installed on the base member


406


so as to releasably secure the light seal


432


to the base member


406


.




The light seal member


432


includes an insert portion


442


with a rib


444


defining an end of the insert portion


442


. The insert portion


442


is adapted to be received in the open end of the top cap


110


mounted on each wall panel. The light seal member


432


also includes downwardly extending legs


446


. The legs extend downwardly between the upwardly extending sidewall members


36


of the adjacent upper frame member and the cover member


340


,


348


disposed on the side of the corner post so as to prevent light from penetrating the gap between the two members. Each leg


446


also includes a beveled edge


448


that mates with an opposing edge of an adjacent leg when two light seals are installed at 90° to each other. The light seal is preferably made of plastic and the legs can be trimmed to the proper length before installation.




Referring to

FIG. 6

, a light seal member


450


is provided to bridge the gap between the top caps on two panels placed end-to-end and connected to each other. In this embodiment, the light seal member


450


includes two insert portions


452


facing away from each other and that are separated by a rib


454


. The insert portions


454


are received in each wall panel top cap


110


. The rib


454


provides a smooth and continuous transition between the top caps


110


. The legs


456


of the light seal extend downwardly and conceal the gap between the adjacent upwardly extending sidewalls of the two panels.




Referring to

FIGS. 68-72

, a corner post light seal member


960


is shown. The light seal includes a base portion


962


that is supported on the upper plate member of the corner post. The base portion


962


includes an opening that is aligned with the opening


328


in the upper plate member that receives the post member, such that the post member


420


can be disposed through the hole in the base portion and threadably engage the plate member. A plurality of arm portions


966


extend upwardly from the base portion. Each arm portion includes a pair of flexible fins


968


that extend laterally outwardly from the arm portion in a substantially perpendicular relationship to each other. The fins span at least a portion of the gap formed between adjacent wall panels oriented at right angles, or between the various wall panels and cover members. The flexible fins


968


are folded or bent inwardly to fit beneath the cover member


340


that is mounted to one or more sides of the corner post as shown in FIG.


72


.




As shown in

FIGS. 68 and 70

, a light seal member


970


is shown with relatively short downwardly extending legs that overlap with the upwardly extending arms and fins of the light seal. The light seal member


970


includes a mounting flange


434


with a slotted hole


436


, a round hole


438


and a cut out


440


, which mate with the post members in the manner described above with respect to light seal member


432


. The corner post light seal configuration shown in

FIGS. 68-72

has several advantages. First, because the light seal member is supported by the corner post and includes upwardly extending arm portions, it does not need to be removed when the top caps are removed for wiring changes and the like. In addition, the light seal member


970


can be configured with shorter legs, and is more easily installed.




As shown in

FIGS. 73 and 74

, another embodiment of a light seal member


980


includes a base portion


982


that is supported on top of an upper draw block


280


and draw rod


290


. In particular, the base portion has a recess


984


shaped to receive the draw block


280


as the end of the draw rod


290


extends upwardly in an opening


987


formed in the base portion. The light seal member includes a pair of upwardly extending arm portions


986


that bridge the top between adjacent wall panels positioned in an end-to-end configuration. A light seal member


990


similar to member


450


shown in

FIG. 6

, but with shorter legs


992


, is then installed between the adjacent top caps installed on top of the wall panels arranged in the end-to-end configuration. Again, the light seal member


980


remains seated on the draw block when the top cap is removed for access to the top channel, and the top cap can be more easily installed because of the relatively short length of the legs extending downwardly from the light seal.




Referring to FIGS.


36


and


38


-


40


, a connector member is provided to attach a shorter wall panel to a taller wall panel. In this configuration, the connector member includes an upper and lower draw block and a draw rod. The upper draw block


460


includes a pair of wedge members


462


on one side and a pair of hook members


464


on the opposite side. The hook members


464


are adapted to engage the slots


86


in the hanger bracket


70


attached to the side of the taller wall panel. The wedge members


462


engage the top


298


of the hanger bracket channels


72


on the shorter wall panel as described above. To connect the panels, the draw rod


296


is tightened to pull the two wall panels together. A light seal


470


is installed on the shorter panel so that its legs


472


are disposed on either side of the upper draw block


460


. An insert portion


474


of the light seal


470


is received in the top cap


110


attached to the top of the shorter panel. The end of the light seal


470


is defined by a flat surface


478


which extends downwardly from a rib


476


. The flat surface


478


abuts the hanger bracket


70


on the taller panel.




Referring to

FIGS. 3

,


36


,


39


and


57


, a pair of end cover brackets


480


are installed on the exposed end of any wall panel which is not connected to another wall panel or a corner post. The end cover bracket


480


includes a pair of outwardly facing grooves


482


running along opposite side edges of the bracket. A end cover


484


is attached to the bracket


480


on the end of the panel to provide a finished appearance. The cover


484


comprises a channel with a top wall


486


closing the upper end of the channel. The end cover also includes a pair of U-shaped brackets


488


mounted inside the channel. The brackets each include inwardly facing flanges


490


which are inserted into the grooves


482


in the end cover bracket mounted to the end of the wall panel. A light seal can be installed between the end cover and the top cap of the wall panel, as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 36

.




When installing a shorter panel adjacent to a taller panel, an end cover bracket


480


is mounted to the exposed portion of the hanger bracket and wall panel end extending above the shorter panel. A short end cover


485


, shown in

FIGS. 36 and 40

, is mounted on the bracket so that the exposed upper portion of the taller wall panel is covered. A light seal


450


is then installed between the end cover and the top cap on the taller wall panel.




Alternatively, as shown in

FIGS. 126 and 127

, a clip


2002


has a plurality of offset tabs


2004


. The flanges


490


of the bracket


480


are received in the spaces formed between the tabs


2004


as the end cover, with its brackets


480


, is slid onto the clips


2002


. The clips


2002


are attached to the hanger brackets with a pair of fasteners


2008


.




Referring to

FIGS. 41-42

, the wall panel also can be attached to a permanent wall


494


. In this arrangement, a mounting plate


496


is disposed inside a channel-shaped cover


498


having a top wall


499


, similar to an end cover. A hanger bracket


70


, the cover


498


and mounting plate


496


are mounted on the permanent wall


494


with a plurality of fasteners. The wall panel is connected to the hanger bracket with a connector member, including an upper and lower draw block and draw rod, as described above, with a light seal


450


being inserted between the cover and the top cap of the adjacent panel.




As shown in

FIGS. 75-81

and


120


-


129


, one or more upper, stackable wall panels


1000


can be installed on top of one or more lower wall panels in various configurations. Each upper, stackable wall panel is preferably of the same construction as one of the wall panels described above, although it should be understood that wall panels of various constructions can be attached using the connector members described herein. Hanger brackets


70


are attached to the vertical side frame members of the upper wall member and extend downwardly from the bottom of the panel so that the bottom of the hanger brackets


70


overlies and is spaced apart from the top of the hanger brackets


270


mounted on the ends of the lower wall panel. As with the wall panels described above, each upper panel includes a upper channel forming a horizontal wire raceway that can be closed off with a top cap, and a pair of vertical wire raceways


108


that are aligned with the vertical raceways in the lower wall panels. The upper channel can be formed by the space between the wall members, or can include a separate channel member


940


.




Referring to FIGS.


75


and


122


-


123


, a pair of lower wall panels are positioned end-to-end and connected with a connector member, which includes upper and lower draw blocks and a draw rod as described above. A spanner member


1020


, shown in

FIGS. 82-84

, is then disposed in the upper horizontal channels in each of the wall panels and is attached thereto with a plurality of fasteners


1022


which secure the spanner to the upper horizontal frame members of the adjacent lower wall panels. As used herein, the term spanner member is meant to refer to a member, such as a brace or bracket, that spans or bridges the distance between two adjacent members, shown as wall panels. The spanner member is formed as a channel member


1024


having a pair of openings


1028


formed in the base


1023


of the channel that are aligned with and provide access to the vertical raceways


108


of the wall panels that the spanner member connects. The channel member also has a cut out portion


1026


in the middle of the member that overlies the upper draw block and draw rod connecting the lower panels to each other. The spanner member also includes a bracket member


1030


having two side portions


1032


, each with two flanges


1034


extending outwardly from the side portion. The side portions are joined by a cross member


1036


that forms a horizontal support surface. The bracket is inserted in the cut out portion of the channel member and the four flange portions are welded, or otherwise attached, to side walls


1025


of the channel member to strengthen the spanner assembly. As shown in

FIG. 83

, the bottom of the cross member


1036


is spaced above the bottom surface of the channel member to provide clearance for the underlying draw block and draw rod.




When used as a lower spanner member, a draw block


1040


, shown in

FIGS. 82 and 83

, is inserted in the cutout prior to the bracket member being attached to the channel member. The draw block


1040


includes a pair of shelf portions


1042


extending from each side of the draw block. The shelf portions engage a top edge


1027


of the cutout on each of the channel sidewalls. The draw block also includes wedge members and draw surfaces, with a flat space therebetween, as described above with reference to the other draw blocks. The bottom surface of the draw block is supported by the bracket member cross member


1036


such that the draw block is trapped between the bracket member and channel member.




Referring to

FIG. 75

, a spanner member


1020


is also mounted across and within the top channels of the upper stackable wall panels, such that the openings


1028


are aligned with the vertical raceways


108


of the upper wall panels. The upper spanner member does not include a draw block, but is mounted over an upper draw block


280


that engages the hanger brackets on the adjacent upper, stackable panels. Draw blocks


280


and


1040


are connected with a draw rod


296


. In this way, an upper connector member, including draw rod


296


and draw blocks


280


,


1040


, overlies the connector member connecting the lower panels and is used to connect the upper panels to one another and to the lower panels. In particular, the draw rod


296


is rotated so as to draw the upper and lower draw blocks


280


,


1040


toward each other so as to thereby pull the hanger brackets together and to mount the upper, stackable wall panels to the lower wall panels.




Now referring to

FIGS. 76 and 124

, an upper stackable wall panel


1000


is shown as being mounted to a pair of lower wall panels arranged in an end-to-end configuration. In this arrangement, a spanner member


1020


with a draw block


1040


is installed in the lower wall panels over a draw block


280


as described above and as shown in FIG.


123


. An upper draw block


280


is then installed on the hanger bracket of the upper, stackable panel and a draw rod


296


is used to clamp the upper, stackable panel to the lower panels. In this way, the connector member, which includes the draw rod


296


and the upper and lower draw blocks


280


and


1040


, connects the upper, stackable panel to the lower panels. A cover member can then be installed over the exposed hanger member and draw rod of the upper, stackable wall panel.




Now referring to FIGS.


77


and


120


-


121


, a taller lower panel is shown attached to a shorter lower wall panel using a connector member, including draw block


460


, in the manner described above with reference to FIGS.


36


and


38


-


40


. An upper, stackable panel can then be installed on top of the shorter lower wall panel to equalize the height of the adjacent panels. In this configuration, a support bracket


1060


,


3060


, shown in

FIGS. 87-89

and


120


respectively, is mounted to the shorter lower wall panel.




In one embodiment, the support bracket


1060


is formed as a channel


1062


with a base


1066


and a pair of side walls


1064


. A support member


1068


includes a vertical flange that extends upwardly from one end of the bracket to close the channel on that end. A horizontal support flange


1070


extends outwardly from the vertical flange and includes an opening


1072


. The support flange has a T-shaped configuration that is shaped to support a draw block


1080


, shown in

FIGS. 90-92

.




In an alternative embodiment, shown in

FIG. 120

, the support bracket


3060


has a channel


3062


with a base


3066


and a pair of sidewalls


3064


. The end of the channel is closed by a support member


3068


, which formed as an upstanding channel that nests between the sidewalls


3064


. The support member can be attached to the sidewalls by welding, with fasteners, or any other well known method of attachment. The support member has a pair of mounting holes


3063


.




As shown in

FIGS. 90-92

, the draw block


1080


includes a middle portion


1082


having a threaded opening


1084


running therethrough and a pair of draw surfaces


1086


formed along the top of wedge members


1088


disposed on outwardly extending side portions


1092


. A ledge


1090


or shelf is formed on each side portion at the base of each wedge member and is designed to engage the lower end of the hanger bracket attached to the upper, stackable wall panel. The draw block is attached to the closed end of the channel. In particular, the draw block is disposed on top of the support flange


1070


with the middle portion and wedge members extending upwardly therefrom and is secured to the flange with a bolt


1102


, or like fastener extending through the hole in the flange member. Alternatively, the draw block can be secured to the flange member by welding or the like. The bottom of the support flange, and the head of the bolt extending therethrough, is spaced above and provides clearance for the underlying draw block that clamps the shorter lower wall panel to the taller lower wall panel.




In an alternative embodiment of the draw block


4080


, which is similar to the draw block


1080


as shown in

FIGS. 131 and 132

, the side portions


4092


act as a spacer and extend outwardly from the middle portion (away from the draw surfaces) so as to ensure that the threaded opening is aligned with the draw rod. The draw block


4080


also has a pair of mounting holes


4094


disposed laterally through the side portions


4092


. The mounting holes


4094


are positioned to be aligned with the mounting holes


3063


in the support member


3068


. The draw block


4080


is then mounted to the vertical support member


3068


with a pair of fasteners, shown as bolts. Alternatively, the draw block could be welded to the support member, or adhesively secured thereto.




The support bracket


1060


,


3060


, with the draw block


1080


,


4080


attached thereto, is disposed in the top channel of the lower wall panel such that an opening


1065


formed in the support bracket overlies and is aligned with the vertical raceway and such that the sidewalls of the support bracket are laterally supported by the channel sidewalls. The support bracket is mounted to the upper frame member with a plurality of fasteners, adhesive, or a combination thereof.




Referring to

FIGS. 77 and 121

, a spanner member


1020


is installed between the upper, stackable wall panel and the taller lower wall panel as described above with reference to

FIG. 75. A

draw block


280


is mounted on the adjacent hanger members and a short draw rod


296


is used to connect the upper and lower draw blocks


280


,


1080


so as to thereby mount the upper panel to the shorter and taller lower wall panels. The draw rod


296


and upper and lower draw blocks


280


,


1080


comprise a connector member, which connects the upper panel to the shorter and taller lower wall panels and overlies the connector member, which includes a pair of draw blocks and a draw rod, connecting the lower wall panels. The draw rod


296


threadably engages the upper portion of the hole


1084


in the draw block


1080


, while the bolt


1102


threadably engages the lower portion thereof. Alternatively, the draw rod can be rotatably secured to the draw block.




Now referring to

FIG. 78

, a shorter lower panel is again shown as attached to a taller lower panel, with a first upper, stackable panel attached to the lower panel in the manner just described, except that the spanner member


1020


connecting the taller lower panel and the first stackable wall panel includes a draw block


1040


, again with the draw block and cross member spaced above the upper draw block


280


, which is part of the connector member used to clamp the first stackable wall panel to the taller lower wall panel and to the shorter lower wall panel. In addition, a second stackable panel is attached to the top of taller lower panel in the same manner as described above with reference to FIG.


76


.




Now referring to

FIGS. 79 and 125

, an upper stackable wall panel is shown as attached to a lower wall panel, with the two panels forming an exposed end of the wall panel assembly. In this configuration, a stand-alone hanger bracket


70


functions as a connector member. The hanger bracket


70


has a length equal to the combined height of the lower and upper wall panels and is placed adjacent the two panels. A second connector member, including an upper draw block


460


, along with a draw rod


296


and a lower draw block


290


, are used to connect the stand-alone hanger bracket, or first connector member, to the lower wall panel as described above with reference to FIGS.


36


and


38


-


40


. In particular, the wedge members


462


engage the hanger bracket


70


on the lower panel, while the hook members


464


engage the slots


86


on the stand-alone hanger bracket


70


. A support bracket


1060


,


3060


, with draw block


1080


,


4080


attached thereto, is then butted up against the hanger bracket


70


so as to overlie the draw block


460


. An upper draw block


280


, a draw rod


296


and lower draw block


1080


,


4080


, which function as a third connector member, is used to connect the upper panel to the hanger bracket connector member and to the lower panel. In particular, the upper draw


280


is installed to engage the hanger bracket on the upper, stackable panel and the stand-alone hanger bracket. The second draw rod


296


is then used to clamp the upper, stackable panel to the stand-alone hanger bracket and to the support bracket


1060


mounted to the lower wall panel as described above. It should be understood that the stand-alone hanger bracket, or first connector member, the draw blocks


460


,


290


and draw rod


296


, or second connector member, and the draw blocks


280


, and


1080


,


4080


, or third connector member, can also be considered in combination as a single connector member for connecting the upper wall panel to the lower panel.




A cover


1110


, shown in

FIGS. 93-94

is then installed on the exposed stand-alone hanger bracket to provide a finished appearance. In this configuration, the exposed portion of the stand-alone hanger bracket is opposite of the exposed portion of a hanger bracket attached to the end of the panel. To facilitate the attachment of the cover member to the inverted hanger bracket, a pair of clip members


1112


are installed inside the cover


1110


. Each clip member


1112


includes a resilient arm portion


1114


having an end portion


1116


that releasably engages the slots of the hanger bracket. An alternative embodiment of the clip


6116


having resistant arm portions


6114


and end portions


6116


that releasably engage the slots is shown in FIG.


134


.




Now referring to

FIG. 80

, a pair of lower wall panels are shown as attached to a corner post as described above. As described above, the corner post


320


, in combination with one or more pairs of draw rods


296


and upper and lower draw blocks


280


,


290


, function as a connector member to connect the lower wall panels. A corner post extension


1120


, shown in

FIGS. 85 and 86

, is then mounted to the top of the corner post, and can also be considered as part of the connector member. In a first embodiment, the corner post extension has the same construction as the corner post described above (with the same reference numbers calling out those aspects that are the same), except that the lower plate member


326


is mounted distally from the lower end of the extension. In addition, each side of the extension has a cut out


1126


along the lower end of the extension below the lower plate member. A leg portion


1128


, formed as a L-shaped angled member, is welded in each corner of the extension and extends downwardly therefrom. The extension


1120


is mounted on the corner post such that the leg portions


1128


are disposed in each inner corner of the upper portion of the corner post and are supported on the upper plate member


324


of the corner post. A bolt


1130


is then installed through the plate member and threadably engages the upper plate member in the corner post


320


to clamp the extension to the corner post. Alternatively, as shown in

FIG. 98

, a draw rod


296


is inserted through the opening in the upper plate of the extension member. The draw rod extends through the lower plate until it engages the hole in the upper plate of the corner post. In the embodiment shown in

FIGS. 85 and 86

, a window


1132


is provided in the extension, both to install the bolt, as well as to provide access for a tool or the like to tighten the bolt.




In another embodiment of the corner post extension, shown in

FIG. 133

, the leg portions


1128


are more elongated and hold the corner post extension above the lower corner post to provide clearance over the draw blocks used to mount the lower wall panel or panels to the corner post. In addition, two plate members


323


and


325


are mounted in an upper portion of the corner post extension. A draw rod


296


engages the plate member


323


and clamps the corner post extension to the corner post below as it engages the opening in the plate member disposed in the lower corner post tube. The second plate member


325


includes a relative large opening


327


centered above the opening


328


in the first plate member so that the draw rod can be installed and accessed through the opening


372


by a tool or the like. As shown in

FIG. 119

, a plate member


3020


is then mounted on the plate member


325


to cover the opening


325


. The plate member


3020


is mounted to the plate member


325


with a double-sided tape, adhesive, welding and/or fasteners. The plate member


3020


also includes an opening


3021


adapted to threadably receive the post member


402


, which supports the corner post cap. The corner post light seal is also supported by the plate member


3020


.




Again referring to

FIG. 80

, the lower wall panels are mounted to the corner post as described above. The extension is then mounted to the corner post with the cut outs


1126


providing clearance over the draw blocks used to mount the lower wall panel or panels to the corner post. A support bracket


1060


is then mounted in the upper channel of the lower panel with a draw block


1080


as described above. An upper draw block


280


is then installed so as to engage the upper edge of the corner post extension


1120


and the hanger bracket


70


of the upper, stackable panel. A draw rod


296


is used to connect the draw blocks


280


,


1080


so as to securely mount the upper, stackable panel to the corner post extension and lower panel. In this way, the draw rod


296


, draw blocks


280


,


1080


and corner post extension


1120


can be considered a connector member connecting the upper panel to the lower panels. It should be understood, that an upper panel could also be installed on the other lower panel, or panels, in the same manner.




Referring to

FIG. 81

, a corner post


320


is shown as having a height equal to the combined height of the lower and upper wall panels. The lower wall panel is attached to the corner post using a draw block


460


. The corner post has a pair of slots formed in each side which are shaped to receive the hook members


464


of the draw block


460


. The upper, stackable wall panel is then attached to the lower wall panel and corner post using a support bracket


1060


,


3060


with a draw block


1080


,


4080


overlying the draw block


460


, an upper draw block


280


and a draw rod


296


as described above.




In an alternative embodiment, an upper stackable panel can be attached to a lower wall panel simply by removing the hanger brackets on both the upper and lower panel and replacing them with a single hanger bracket having a length equal to the combined height of the upper and lower panels. The hanger bracket is attached to each wall panel using a plurality of fasteners to secure one panel to the other.




In another embodiment, shown in

FIGS. 128 and 129

, a stand-alone hanger bracket


70


is attached to the upper portion of the hanger bracket of a lower wall panel with a plurality of fasteners


5001


. The stackable upper wall panel is then attached to the stand-alone hanger bracket using a support bracket


1060


,


3060


with a draw block


1080


,


4080


, draw rod


296


and draw block


280


in the same manner as described above with respect to

FIGS. 79 and 125

.




In yet another embodiment, shown in

FIG. 98

, a support bracket includes a base portion


1150


having an opening


1152


that overlies and is aligned with the vertical channel. A flange


1154


extends downwardly from an outer edge of the opening and abuts the inner surface of the vertical frame member. A plurality of fasteners


1156


are used to secure the bracket to the upper horizontal frame member and to the vertical frame member. A hanger bracket


70


is attached, preferably by welding, to an outer end of the bracket and extends upwardly therefrom. An upper wall panel is then installed between opposing hanger brackets and attached thereto with a plurality of fasteners. The hanger brackets can then be secured to any one of an adjacent hanger bracket, corner post or corner post extension (shown in

FIG. 98

) using the various draw block assemblies described above. Alternatively, as shown in

FIG. 98

, a draw block


1190


having a horizontally oriented opening


1192


includes a hook portion


1194


that engages an upper edge of the corner post extension. A fastener is installed through the opening and threadably engages a hole in the upper portion of the adjacent hanger bracket.




The construction of the frame members and panel, as described above, is ideally suited for improved manufacturability of the wall panel. In one embodiment, the method for making each vertical frame member includes providing a core member


28


, a hanger bracket


70


and a pair of sidewall members


34


, each having an edge portion


40


with an outer leg


118


having an outer surface. The hanger bracket


70


is attached to the outer surface


50


of the core member as discussed above.




Referring to

FIGS. 50-51

, the core member


28


and hanger bracket


70


are placed in a fixture


500


, which has a first surface


502


spaced apart from a second to and third surface


504


,


505


. The fixture


500


is rotatably attached to supports


506


at each end of the fixture


500


. In this way, fixture surfaces can be provided on opposite sides of the same fixture for different frame members. The fixture is simply rotated so that the surfaces to be employed are accessible to the assembler.




As illustrated in

FIG. 51

, the core member


28


and hanger bracket


70


are positioned in the fixture such that an outer surface of the hanger bracket engages the first surface


502


. The sidewalls


34


are then inserted into the fixture


500


on opposite sides of the core member. The ends of the sidewalls and the ends of the core member are positioned relative to each other in the fixture using a locator pin as the outer leg


118


of the edge portions of the two sidewalls engage the second and third surfaces


504


,


505


of the fixture respectively. The core member, hanger bracket and sidewalls are clamped together in the fixture using a plurality of clamps


508


. The sidewalls are then attached to the core member with a plurality of fasteners, preferably staples. Alternatively, the sidewalls can also be bonded to the core member using a suitable adhesive, or bonded and mechanically fastened.




It should also be understood by one skilled in the art, that various aspects of the assembly process can be automated. For example, the hand clamps shown in

FIG. 51

can be replaced with pneumatically controlled clamps. Similarly, the fastening process can be automated, whereby the application of adhesive and stapling is done automatically.




By using a fixture as just described, the distance between the outer surface of the hanger bracket and the outer leg of each sidewall can be maintained as a relative constant with relatively tight tolerances. Thus, when two panels are installed end-to-end, the gap between adjacent opposing sidewalls will be maintained with tight tolerances so as to provide a uniform appearance when viewing a system of interconnected wall panels. In essence, the gap at each joint between adjacent panels is maintained as a relative constant. Moreover, this method of manufacture ensures that the slotted portion of the hanger bracket is always maintained a constant distance from the outer leg


118


of the sidewall edge portion. Thus, the user is ensured that components can be consistently installed on the hanger bracket without having to force the component past a protruding sidewall.




Another advantage of this method is realized when different thickness fabrics are installed on the panel. Typically, when a thicker fabric is installed on one panel, the fabric fills more of the gap between connected panels, and can therefore interfere with the installation of components on the hanger brackets, as well as creating a displeasing appearance as between adjacent joints. With the current construction, the distance between the first and second and third surfaces in the fixture can be altered to provide more or less distance between them so as to accommodate thicker or thinner fabrics respectively.




Referring to

FIG. 52

, a scanner


600


or caliper can be used to measure the thickness of the fabric


130


being installed and provide that data to a computer. The computer


602


employs logic and actuates a servo motor


604


that changes the relative distance between the first and second and third surfaces so as to provide a uniform gap between panels once the fabric is installed. It should be understood that actuators could alternatively be used to adjust the second and third surfaces relative to the first surface. In this way, the second surface could be spaced a greater distance from the first surface than the third surface is from the first surface so as to accommodate two different thickness fabrics on each side of the panel. For example, it may be desirable to employ a heavy thick fabric on the outside wall of a panel system forming a walkway which experiences a lot of abuse, while providing a thinner fabric, for reasons of color selection etc., on the inside wall of the system forming the workspace.




Another advantage is realized by using a wooden core member in each of the frame members in that the sidewalls can be attached extremely fast and inexpensively with staples, rather than by expensive welding or mechanical screw and bolt type fasteners.




The upper and lower frame members are made in a similar manner, except that the first fixture surface


620


engages the core member rather than the hanger bracket as shown in

FIGS. 53-54

. The sidewall members are installed so that the outer legs


118


engage the second and third fixture surfaces


622


,


623


respectively. The bracket and mounting strip are installed on the outer surface of the lower core member with mechanical fasteners. The groove


33


positioned along the bottom of the bottom core member allows space for ends of a tool locator which positions the bracket and mounting strip relative to the bottom of the panel.




A method is also provided to assemble the wall panel. The method includes providing a plurality of fixtures


512


having horizontal surfaces


514


and vertical surfaces


516


. The fixtures


512


are arranged in a rectangular configuration on a bed


522


, as shown in

FIGS. 55-56

. A pedestal support


524


extends upwardly from the bed in the middle of the fixture arrangement. Each fixture is provided with a clamp


520


. Adhesive is applied to the inner surface of one of the wall members around its edge. The wall member is then placed on the horizontal surface


514


of the fixtures with the inner surface facing upward. The pedestal support


524


supports the outer surface of the wall member. The four frame members, i.e., the vertical frame members


14


and the upper and lower frame members


16


,


18


, are placed in the fixtures such that the sidewalls


34


,


36


,


38


of each frame engage the fixture surfaces oriented around the panel. The sidewalls of the upper frame member are pinched together and inserted between the upwardly extending sidewalls


68


of the vertical frame members and then released so that the sidewalls overlap. Similarly, the outwardly extending sidewalls


38


of the lower frame member are overlapped with the exposed core of the vertical frame members


550


. The vertical surfaces


516


of the fixture are magnetized with magnets


521


to attract and hold the frame members to the vertical surfaces


516


.




A partition member


140


, with adhesive applied to the mounting flange


142


, is then installed at each end of the panel by bonding the mounting flange to the inner surface


122


of the wall member. The boundary flange


144


extends away from the wall member to form the vertical channel


108


. Because the partition member is preferably made of cardboard, it can be easily installed by bonding rather than be welding or mechanically fastening as would typically be required for metal or wood partitions.




Adhesive is applied to both sides of the honeycomb filler member


150


and it is disposed inside the frame on the inner surface


122


of the wall member


120


. The filler member


150


substantially fills the space between the upper and lower frame members and between the two partition members. In a preferred embodiment, an outlet box


270


is mounted to a hardboard base plate with a fastener. The base plate is adhesively bonded to the inner surface


122


of the wall member. One of a portion of the partition member or filler material is removed to allow the outlet box to be installed on the inside of the frame. The outlet box can be installed between the partition members, or such that one side of the box is aligned with the partition member to thereby provide a wall defining the inner surface of the vertical channel. The conduit


276


connecting the outlet box to the power system is disposed in the vertical channel and extends through the space between the bottom core member and the vertical core member.




Adhesive is applied around the edges of the inner surface


122


of the second wall member. The wall member


120


is positioned in the recess formed on a second side of the frame by the edge portions of the sidewalls. When an outlet box has been installed on the first wall member, a hole is cut in the second wall member so as to be substantially aligned with the outlet box once the second wall member is installed. The two wall members and frame are clamped together and to the fixtures. A staple gun, preferably a dual action staple gun


640


accessing both sides of the panel simultaneously, as shown in

FIG. 56

, is used to mechanically fasten the two wall members to the four frame members, and in particular, to staple through the wall member and sidewall member and into the core member. Fasteners are also installed in the overlapping portions of the upwardly extending vertical sidewalls, the sidewalls of the upper frame member and the wall member, as described above. As described above, it should be understood that various aspects of this assembly process could be automated. For example, the clamping could be pneumatically controlled, and the positioning of the wall members, filler member, partition members and frame members could be automated.




Because the core members are preferably made out of wood, the wall members can be easily and cheaply secured to the frame. This construction avoids the use of expensive and time consuming welding operations and/or the use of expensive screw and bolt type fasteners.




The support leg is installed by press fitting the upper portion of the leg into the opening between the bracket and core member. The foot member is attached to the leg member.




The barrier sheet is disposed on both sides of the wall panel, and is either adhesively or mechanically attached to the wall member or the frame members. Alternatively, the barrier sheet can be wrapped around the edge portions of the sidewall members underneath the decorative sheet, which secures the barrier sheet to the wall panel, as shown in FIG.


47


A.




Next, the decorative sheets are installed by disposing a sheet on each side of the panel and attaching the strip to the edge portion of each side wall as described above, including the steps of tucking the excess fabric corner patch located at the corners into the edge portion channel and inserting a flexible corner block into each corner to secure the fabric in the channel.




It should be understood that all of the aforementioned steps of manufacture can be interchanged without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As such, it is intended that the foregoing order of steps be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting.




Additional steps can be included to accessorize the panel. For example, a top cap typically is installed on each panel. In addition, the power distribution system can be installed by attaching the power distribution server, including the receptacle modules and harnesses, to the bracket on the bottom of the lower frame member. In addition, the base cover can be installed on the mounting strip to conceal and protect the power distribution system. The base cover is installed by securing the two side walls to the mounting strip attached to the bottom of the lower frame member.




In another aspect of assembly, a system is provided for assembling the core assembly


800


component shown in

FIGS. 60 and 62

and the wall member


920


components shown in

FIGS. 61 and 62

to form a wall panel, as shown in

FIGS. 62 and 103

. First, the top channel member


940


is attached to the upper horizontal frame member


816


. The core assembly, with the attached top channel member, is then transported to a station where a pair of hanger brackets


70


are attached to the core assembly; one to each vertical side frame member


814


.




It should be understood that the term “core assembly,” as used herein, refers generally to an internal element of a wall panel that supports or is connected to at least one outer wall member. For example, the core assembly may include, but is not limited to, the constructions disclosed herein, including for example a frame having inner wall members attached thereto and a filler member. The core assembly may further include hanger brackets and a top channel. Alternatively, for the sake of the centering aspect described herein below, the core assembly may be comprised of a solid component, such as wood, or could be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic, including for example, a metal frame and/or wall members. It should also be understood that the term “core assembly” is also meant to encompass a single integral component, including for example, a single block of wood, notwithstanding the use of the term “assembly” in conjunction with the term “core.”




In the exemplary embodiment, the core assembly


800


, including the attached top channel member


940


and hanger brackets


70


, is transported to a machine having at least a pair of fences driven by a pair of rack and pinion mechanism as shown in

FIGS. 104-106

and


116


-


118


. The core assembly


800


enters the machine leading with the top channel member


940


as it is carried by a pair of drive belts


1302


that run the longitudinal length of the machine and which are driven by a motor


1304


. Preferably, the belts are V-belts that ride on pulleys. A referencing device


1306


includes two cylinders


1308


,


1310


and a link member


1312


. Preferably, the cylinders are air or gas driven (i.e., pneumatic) which are relatively fast and clean, although it should be understood that hydraulics could also work. In addition, mechanical linkages, including for example drive belts and the like, could also be provided to drive the link member.




The first cylinder


1308


is pivotally attached to a frame


1300


at horizontal axis


1316


. A suitable cylinder is the cylinder ‘A’ Series Model #P3AM-0611C-CAA2 manufactured by NUMATICS. An extensible shaft


1314


extends from the first cylinder and is pivotally attached to the link, which is also pivotally attached to the frame at axis


1320


. A support bracket


1322


is mounted to the link member. The second cylinder


1310


is mounted to the support bracket, and includes an extensible shaft having a locator member


1324


attached to the end of the shaft. A suitable cylinder is the cylinder model #F0311.24-M3 manufactured by BIMBA. The locator member


1324


includes a C-shaped channel member


1326


and a referencing block


1328


mounted inside the channel member


1326


.




In operation, as shown in

FIG. 105

, the referencing device


1306


is moveable between a referencing position, where the device engages the core assembly, and a stored position, where the referencing device is moved below the plane of the upper belt surface of the belts


1302


, which support the core assembly. The belts


1302


transport the core assembly out of the machine without interference from the referencing device when it is pivoted to the stored position. In one embodiment, the axis can transport the core assembly into and out of the machine at speeds of about 100 ft/min. In operation, the cylinder


1308


is actuated to retract shaft


1314


which rotates the link member


1312


counter clockwise about axis


1320


, with reference to FIG.


105


.




As the link member


1312


is rotated about axis


1320


, the support bracket, cylinder


1310


and locator member


1324


are pivoted from a vertical stored orientation (with the locator member facing upwardly) below the upper surface of the belts


1302


to a horizontal referencing orientation such that the channel member


1326


and referencing block


1328


are open to and face the incoming top channel member


940


of the core assembly as the core assembly is transported along the machine on belts


1302


. The cylinder


1310


is actuated to extend the channel member and referencing block to engage the top channel member


940


of the core assembly. In particular, the referencing block engages the upper surface of the ridges


944


formed along the top channel member


940


while the channel member


1326


, which is dimensioned to receive the top channel member


940


, prevents the sidewalls of the top channel member


940


from spreading apart as the core assembly, and in particular, the ridges


944


, are butted up against the reference block. In this way, the position of the core assembly from top to bottom in the machine is referenced for further operation, whereby successive core assemblies will have the same positioning of locator openings. One should understand that other referencing surfaces, or contacts, could also be used. For example, a referencing device could be provided to engage the bottom of the top channel member, or the outer most part of the sidewalls thereof.




After, or at the same time, the core assembly is referenced by the referencing device


1306


, the fences


1340


are moved to center the core assembly in the machine whereinafter the locator holes are drilled and/or routed through the core assembly


800


adjacent the top and bottom of the core assembly along the centerline thereof. In particular, a pair of pinion gears


1350


, each having a vertical axis of rotation, each engage a pair of parallel racks


1352


extending along opposite sides of the pinion gear. A suitable pinion gear is the model #NSS8P44 spur gear manufactured by Browning. The fences


1340


are attached to one corresponding rack


1352


on each end of the machine and are supported on linear bearings


1370


along each end. A suitable rack is the gear rack model #4NSR8X1¼X48 manufactured by Browning, while a suitable linear bearing can be configured from the combination of a pillow block (model #PB-24-OPN) and rail assembly (model #SRA-24) available from Thompson. Each fence includes a plurality of laterally opening C-shaped brackets


1354


that support the core assembly along its sides. Each bracket is shaped to receive the core assembly, including the hanger brackets attached therealong. The brackets


1354


are movably mounted on a track


1355


running longitudinally along the length of the fence.




In one mode of operation, one of the fences


1340


is pushed inwardly as it is supported by the bearings


1370


as the core assembly is situated on the locator member


1324


. As the fence is pushed inwardly, the racks


1352


, attached at opposite ends of the fence being actuated, rotate the pinion gear


1350


so as to simultaneously move the other pair of racks and attached fence on the opposite side of the core assembly. In this way, the core assembly is engaged on both sides by the fences, with both fences moving toward each other at equal rates and distances so as to center the core assembly in the machine. The actuated fence can be pushed inwardly by hand, or can be acted upon by a cylinder or other actuating device as explained below. Alternatively, the pinion gear can be actuated, by way of a belt, chain or hand tool, so as to simultaneously move both racks, and attached fences, to center the core assembly in the machine.




Referring to

FIGS. 116-117

, on one end of the machine, a gear


1360


is connected to the pinion gear


1350


positioned at that end with a shaft


1362


. The gear


1360


is then connected to another gear


1364


with a belt


1366


. The gear


1364


is attached to a shaft extending from an encoder


1368


, or controller/sensor. As the fences move inwardly and the pinion gear


1350


rotates, the gear


1360


rotates the gear


1364


and spins the encoder


1368


. The encoder can be programmed, or be connected to a computer, so as to allow a tool component to be activated for operation on the core assembly only if the encoder registers a rotation of the gear


1364


corresponding to a range of acceptable core assembly widths. In essence, the encoder detects whether the core assembly is too wide, or not wide enough, and prevents the tool component from being activated if the core assembly falls outside the range. The encoder, or computer, can also be programmed for several different ranges corresponding to various core assembly widths. A suitable encoder is the Allen-Bradley encoder model #845TK-F2500-25.




In addition to the movement of the fences being controlled by the corresponding movement of the racks attached to each end thereof, the machine can also be configured with a pair of shafts


1370


that are located beneath the fences and extend longitudinally along the length of the machine, as best shown in

FIGS. 105 and 106

. The shafts


1370


are rotatably supported by a pair of brackets


1372


that extend downwardly from the fence. A gear


1374


is attached to each end of each shaft. The gear meshes with a rack


1376


that is fixedly attached to each end of the frame, preferably with a plurality of bolts or like fasteners. A suitable rack and gear arrangement includes the gear rack model #6NSR8X1¼X36 and the spur gear model #NSS8H32, both manufactured by Browning. In operation, the shafts


1370


are rotated so as to move the fences


1340


inwardly as the gears


1374


mesh with the racks


1376


. In this way, the shafts


1370


facilitate the centering of the core assembly while also keeping the core assembly square in the machine.




In one embodiment, the shafts


1370


can also be actuated to move the fences so as to center the core assembly in the machine. In particular, as shown in

FIG. 106

, a shaft brake


1378


is disposed around each shaft adjacent one end of the machine. The shaft brakes


1378


are pivoted by a cylinder


1380


that is pivotably secured to the fence. The shaft brake


1378


is actuated to clamp onto the shaft


1370


. The cylinder


1380


is then extended or retracted so as to rotate the shaft brake and shaft, which in turn moves each of the fences toward or away from each other as explained above. However, it should be understood that the shafts


1370


can be used without the shaft brakes so as to simply ensure that each end of the fence is moved the same amount at the same time so as to keep the core assembly square in the machine.




Referring to

FIGS. 104-107

, a plurality of tool components, shown as three routers


1390


,


1392


,


1394


are suspended from a framework


1355


above the core assembly. It should be understood that other tool components could be provided to operate on the core assembly when centered in the machine, such as various staple guns, drills, routers, jigs, glue dispensers and the like, and the term tool component is not limited to the disclosed router. The first router


1390


is used with every core assembly and is programmed to make a single, circular locator opening


1230


through the core assembly, including through each of the inner wall members attached to the frame, at a predetermined distance from the top of the core assembly, as determined by the distance between the router bit, or drill bit, and the locating member


1324


. The second and third routers


1392


,


1394


are programmed to form a machine direction slot through the core assembly. As such, the second and third routers are moveably mounted to the frame on a slider


1396


or track so that the routers can be actuated by a pneumatic cylinder


1393


to move in the machine direction to form the slot


1232


. A suitable slide is the slide S-Series #5200-01.50-STO (S/N 289B) manufactured by Electro Pneumatic Innovations (EPI). In contrast, the first router is mounted to the frame without a machine direction slide. All three routers


1390


,


1392


,


1394


are also moveably mounted to the frame on a vertical slide


1397


. A suitable slide is the slide S-Series #5200-0.300-STO (S/N 289A) manufactured by EPI. The routers are moved vertically along the slide


1397


by a pneumatic cylinder


1399


to engage and disengage the core assembly with the router bit. For example, one suitable actuator is the Kinechek Slimline Model #1002-31-3 with mounting block #A10031 manufactured by Deschner.




Only one of the second and third routers is used at a time, with the second router


1392


being used for shorter core assemblies, and the third router


1394


being used with longer core assemblies. A suitable router for use as the first, second and/or third router is a Porter Cables Model #6902 (23,000 rpm). Preferably, the router bits are ½ inch carbide although other diameters, such as ¾ inch would also work. The routers are oriented along the centerline of the core assembly and are actuated to penetrate the core assembly after the core assembly has been centered in the machine. After the locator hole and slot are formed, the core assembly is released as the referencing device pivots out of the way into the stored position and is thereafter transported by the belts


1302


to the next station where it is ready for mating with the wall members


920


.




Referring to

FIG. 61

, the assembly of the wall member involves first positioning the wall member


920


over a piece of decorative sheet


930


and barrier sheet


530


. The plurality of strip members


824


are positioned around the periphery of the wall member. The decorative sheet


930


is stretched from the top and bottom of the wall member and attached to the wall member and strip members along the top and bottom of the wall member. The decorative sheet is then stretched from each side of the wall member and again attached to the wall member and strip members along the sides of the wall member. It should be understood that the order of stretching the decorative sheet from the top and bottom and from each side can be reversed, or can be done simultaneously. After the decorative sheet and strip members are attached, any excess decorative sheet material that may be gathered at the corners is trimmed, folded and secured to the wall member, preferably with staples or like fasteners.




The wall member


920


is then transported to a locator member attachment machine that has many features and parts similar to the router machine. Those parts and features are referenced by the same reference numbers. In essence, both the router machine and locator member attachment machine have the same bed for moving the wall panel components, including the core assembly and wall member, and centering those components for further operations thereto. In particular, and referring to

FIGS. 107-108

, the locator member attachment machine includes a pair of rack and pinion mechanisms


1350


,


1352


and fences


1340


that center the wall member in the machine as described above with respect to the core assembly in the router machine. A referencing device includes a cylinder


1308


pivotally connected to the frame


1300


about axis


1316


and to a link


1312


, which is also pivotally connected to the frame about axis


1320


. A referencing block


1428


is mounted to the link


1312


, such that when the link is pivoted from the stored position beneath the upper surface of the belts


1302


to the referencing position, it is in position to engage the top edge of the wall panel as it is transported by the belts


1302


.




Referring to

FIGS. 108 and 109

, another embodiment for moving the fences is shown. It should be understood that this embodiment would also work with the fences on the router machine, and conversely, the devices and methodologies for moving the fences of the router machine would also work with the fences on the locator member attachment machine. In particular, a cylinder


1402


, and preferably a pneumatic cylinder, is mounted to the frame. A suitable cylinder is the cylinder model #5024-DXP manufactured by BIMBA. A rod


1404


extends from the cylinder and is attached to a bracket


1406


extending downwardly from one of the fences, as shown in

FIGS. 108 and 109

. The cylinder


1402


can be actuated to move the rod laterally so as to move the attached fence inwardly or outwardly. As the fence


1340


is moved, it causes the pinion gears


1350


on the opposite ends of the machine to move, by way of the attached racks


1352


, so as to thereby cause the other fence to move a corresponding amount by way of its attached racks


1352


. In addition, the fences each include a shaft


1370


having a pair of gears


1374


that engage a rack


1376


on each end of the frame so as to keep the fences, and wall member engaged thereby, square in the machine. As shown in

FIG. 109

, the fences


1340


each include a plurality of C-shaped bracket


1454


shaped to receive the wall member therein. Again, the brackets


1454


are moveably mounted on a track that extends along the length of the fence.




Referring to

FIGS. 108 and 109

, a plurality of tool components, shown as two locator member dispensers


1500


, are suspended from a framework over the wall member. The first dispenser is preferably fixed, while the second dispenser can be moved between a plurality of positions. Each locator member dispenser


1500


positions a locator member


1234


over the wall panel. The position of each locator member is programmed to correspond to the location of the locator openings, including the circular hole or slot, positioned in the core assembly.




In particular, and referring to

FIGS. 110-112

, the dispenser


1500


includes a locator member magazine


1502


having a tray with a horizontal holding portion


1504


and an angled portion


1506


extending upwardly from the horizontal portion. The tray is shaped to slideably hold a plurality of locator members


1234


. A pair of cylinders


1508


,


1510


each having a pin


1512


,


1514


can be successively operated to permit one locator member to slide from the angled portion to the horizontal portion. In particular, the lower cylinder


1508


is actuated to retract the pin


1512


so as to allow the locator member, which was retained thereby, to slide down onto the horizontal holding portion


1504


. The upper cylinder


1510


is then actuated to retract the pin


1514


so as to permit another locator member to move into position against the lower pin


1512


, which is extended to stop the locator member.




An arm member


1516


is pivotally about axis


1517


is moved over the locator member positioned in the horizontal portion of the tray. The arm includes and end portion


1520


that has a recess


1518


shaped to receive the locator member


1234


. The arm is displaced over the locator member while a vacuum is applied. The arm


1516


is then pivoted outwardly about axis


1517


to position the locator member along the centerline of the wall member. A pair of staple guns


1522


are then successively actuated to secure the base portion


1236


of the locator member to the wall member with a pair of flaring staples, whose ends flare out in the wall member as they penetrate the member. The staple guns


1522


are moveable in the lateral cross-machine direction on a slide


1528


and can be actuated by an actuator, such a pneumatic cylinder, a screw mechanism, or similar device. A suitable slide is the series SD slide model # SDC23x1½xM-J2-AR-AE, manufactured by PHD. In this way, the staple guns can be successively moved into place to attach the locator member. A slide


1529


is also provided to moveably mount the staple guns in a vertical direction. An actuator, shown as a cylinder, is also provided to move the staple guns. Similarly, a slide


1531


and actuator control the vertical movement of the arm


1516


and end portion


1517


, while a rotary actuator


1521


controls the pivoting movement of the arm member


1516


. A suitable rotary actuator is the Series RA Rotary Actuator Model #RAS120x90-PB-MQ10 manufactured by PHD.




As shown in

FIG. 111

, the dispenser includes a guide


1551


that slideably engages a track


1553


that runs along the length of a longitudinally extending frame member


1555


. The dispenser


1500


also includes a lock pin


1557


that can be retracted and extended to engage a plurality of recesses


1559


in the track


1553


. In operation, the lock pin


1557


is retracted from one of the recesses so that the dispenser


1500


can be slid along the track


1553


to a new position where the lock pin


1557


can be extended to engage a new recess in the track so as to lock the dispenser in position for a subsequent operation. One of skill in the art should understand that the positioning of the lock pin and recess could be interchanged, with the lock pin located on the track, or frame member, and the recess located on the dispenser. One of skill in the art will also understand that the routers described above could also be mounted to the frame on a track with a locking device.




As with the routers, preferably only two dispensers are used with any one panel, depending on the size of the panel. However, it should be understood that additional dispensers and routers can be provided to provide a plurality of locator members and openings numbering greater than two.




The locations of the locator members are determined by the distance between the end portion


1520


of the arm and the reference block


1428


that engages the top edge of the wall member. This distance is programmed to correspond to the position of the locator openings formed in the core assembly. After the locator members are secured to the wall member, preferably along the centerline of the wall member, the wall member is ready for mating with the core assembly and can be carried from the machine by the belts.




One of skill in the art should understand that, in an alternative embodiment, the position of the locator members and openings could be reversed, with the locator members attached to opposite sides of the core assembly, and with the locator openings formed in the wall member, but preferably not passing all of the way therethrough as explained above. The preferred construction is with the locator openings in the core assembly, however, since only one drilling, or routing, operation need be made when the locator opening extends all of the way through the core assembly, as opposed to separately drilling, or routing, each of the wall members. Moreover, the concern with penetrating the entire thickness of the wall member is eliminated, although the locator opening could be made all of the way through the wall member if necessary or desired.




At this stage, hot melt adhesive is applied to one or both of the wall members


920


and/or the outer surface of the wall member


820


of the core assembly and the locator members


1234


are inserted in the locator holes


1230


,


1232


. In addition, mechanical fasteners, such as staples and the like, can be used to secure the wall member to the core assembly. In this way, the wall members


920


are centered on the core assembly so as to provide an equal overhang along both sides of the panel, which thereby provides for equal exposure to the hanger brackets and maintains equal gaps between adjacent panels installed end to end.




After the wall members are located on the core assembly, the completed wall panel is passed through a pinch roll to firmly bond the wall members to the core assembly. A jig can be placed between the sidewalls of the top channel member to provide support therebetween so as to thereby prevent the sidewalls from being bent toward one another or from otherwise being deformed. The wall panel is thereafter transferred to a press conveyor


1600


, shown in

FIGS. 113-115

, which is approximately 17 feet in length. The press conveyor includes a belt


1602


, preferably about 5-6 feet wide, that carries and moves the wall panel though the press conveyor. The belt preferably travels at a rate of about 4 ft/min. A second belt


1606


is welded, or vulcanized along the underside of the length of the belt


1602


. As shown in

FIG. 130

, the belt


1606


, which is preferably a V-belt, rides in a longitudinally extending (machine direction) groove


1608


formed in the bed


1620


of the machine to keep the belt


1602


centered and tracking on the machine. The belt


1602


is supported by the bed and is driven by a drive roller


1622


. The belt is also supported by roller


1634


on the opposite end of the machine. The bed and frame are supported by four legs


1640


, which are height adjustable. In addition, a series of rollers


1630


underlie the belt to maintain the tension thereof. The drive roller is driven, with a belt or chain


1624


, by a motor


1626


.




A plurality of gravity rollers


1604


engage the upper wall member of the wall panel and apply a load thereto by way of their weight being supported by the wall panel. Each roller


1604


is moveably supported along both ends by a C-shaped bracket


1621


that is slideably supported on a vertically oriented post


1641


mounted in a side frame member


1610


, which is configured as an outwardly opening channel. Alternatively, the ends of the rollers can be disposed in vertically oriented slots formed in the side frame member. Lateral supports


1636


interconnect the side frame members


1610


. The rollers are preferably steel. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom surface of the rollers are positioned just slightly below the plane formed by the upper surface of the wall panel, such that as the wall panel is introduced into the press conveyor, the crown on the rollers


1604


allows the rollers to ride up over the edge of the wall panel and be supported thereon. For example, in one embodiment, the rollers are positioned at about 2 and ⅞ inches above the belt


1602


, have a diameter of about 2 and ½ inches and are positioned in a spaced apart and substantially parallel relationship with a successive distance between each other of about 6 inches from center to center. The press conveyor applies a load by way of the weight of the rollers, which are about 30 lbs. in an exemplary embodiment, to the wall panel as it is moved to a next station. In addition, a spring


1651


is disposed around each post


1641


between the upper flange of the frame member


1610


and the top of the C-shaped bracket


1621


. The springs


1651


bias the roller against the wall panel as it travels along the length of the press conveyor. The applied load prevents the wall members from peeling back from the core after the wall panel leaves the pinch roll while the adhesive or bonding agent sets up. The press conveyor, by virtue of its length, can carry two or more wall panels at a time, depending on their length.




When assembled in a system of panels, the horizontal channel formed along the top and bottom of the panels provides the user with an ideal and easy to access space for storing and routing cables and wires, such as communication and data lines. Moreover, the vertical channels in each panel allow the user to easily rout wires and cables from the top of the panel to the bottom. In addition, the vertical channels provide a ready-made space for routing electrical conduit from the outlet mounted in the panel to the base of the panel and the attached power distribution system.




Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from it spirit and scope of the invention. As such, it is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting and that it is the appended claims, including all equivalents thereof, which are intended to define the scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A wall panel comprising:a rectangular frame comprising a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel vertical side frame members, and spaced apart generally parallel horizontal lower and upper frame members, said horizontal frame members connected to said vertical frame members at opposite ends thereof to form said rectangular frame, each of said frame members having an outermost surface defining an outer periphery of said frame; a pair of first sheetlike wall members attached to opposite sides of said frame member, each of said first wall members having at least one peripheral edge which does not extend beyond the outermost surface of at least one of said frame members positioned adjacent to said peripheral edge; a pair of second sheetlike wall members attached to said first wall members, each of said second wall members having at least one peripheral edge extending beyond said outermost surface of said at least one of said frame members, wherein said second wall members and said outermost surface of said at least one of said frame member form a channel; and a thin decorative sheet covering an outer surface of each of said second wall members.
  • 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said frame members are made of wood.
  • 3. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a thin barrier sheet disposed between each of said second wall members and said decorative sheet on each side of said wall panel.
  • 4. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a filler member disposed between said pair of first wall members and extending between said horizontal frame members.
  • 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said at least one frame member comprises said upper frame member and wherein said channel is formed by said second wall members extending upwardly from said upper frame member, and further comprising a channel member mounted to an upper surface of said upper horizontal frame member within said channel.
  • 6. The invention of claim 5 further comprising a top cap releasably secured to said channel member.
  • 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said channel member comprises an inwardly facing ridge, and wherein said top cap has a pair of downwardly facing flange members, each of said flange members having a ribbed portion, said ribbed portion engaging said ridge so as to releasably secure said top cap to said channel member.
  • 8. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a strip member and wherein said second wall member has an edge; said strip member disposed along at least a portion of said edge.
  • 9. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a vertical channel communicating with said channel formed between said second wall members and said outermost surface of said at least one frame member and a bottom portion of said panel.
  • 10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said upper horizontal frame member has an opening communicating with said vertical channel.
  • 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said vertical channel is defined by the inner surface of one of said side frame members and a spaced apart partition member extending between said upper and lower horizontal frame members.
  • 12. The invention of claim 9 further comprising a second vertical channel spaced apart from the first vertical channel.
  • 13. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of said vertical side frame members further comprises a hanger bracket attached to the outermost surface thereof, said hanger brackets each having a plurality of slots arranged along its length.
  • 14. The invention of claim 13 wherein each of said hanger brackets comprises a pair of channels.
  • 15. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a support leg secured to the bottom of the frame, said support leg adapted to support said assembly on a floor in a spaced apart relationship with said floor, and further comprising a base cover attached to and extending downwardly from the lower frame member.
  • 16. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a bracket attached to the bottom of said lower frame member, and a power distribution system secured to said bracket, said power distribution system comprising a power harness and a receptacle module adapted to receive an electrical plug, said harness adapted to be electrically connected with an electrical distribution system in an adjacent panel.
  • 17. The invention of claim 16 further comprising an electrical outlet box attached to at least one of said frame and said first wall members between said upper and lower frame members, and an electrical conduit electrically connecting said outlet box with said harness.
  • 18. A wall panel comprising:a rectangular frame comprising a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel vertical side frame members, and spaced apart generally parallel horizontal lower and upper frame members, said horizontal frame members connected to said vertical frame members at opposite ends thereof to form said rectangular frame, each of said frame members having an outer surface; a pair of first sheetlike wall members attached to opposite sides of said frame, each of said first wall members having at least one peripheral edge which does not extend beyond the outer surface of at least one of said frame members positioned adjacent to said peripheral edge; a pair of second sheetlike wall members attached to said first wall members, each of said second wall members having at least one peripheral edge extending beyond said outer surface of said at least one of said frame members, wherein said second wall members and said outer surface of said at least one of said frame members from a channel therebetween; and wherein one of each of said pair of first wall members and each of said pair of second wall members have at least one locator opening and wherein the other of each of said pair of first wall member and each of said pair of second sheetlike wall members comprises at least one locator member disposed thereon, said locator members received in said locator openings whereby said second sheetlike wall members are centered on said first sheetlike wall members.
  • 19. The invention of claim 18 wherein said locator member comprises a post member and wherein said locator opening is shaped to receive said post member.
  • 20. The wall panel of claim 18 wherein said at least one locator opening comprises at least a first and second opening, wherein said second opening is slotted, and said at least one locator member comprises at least a first and second locator member, wherein said first locator member is received in said first opening and said second locator member is received in said slotted opening.
  • 21. A wall panel comprising:a core having a first side; a wall member mounted to said core and comprising a second side facing said first side of said core; one of said core and said wall member having at least one locator opening formed in at least one of said first side of said core and said second side of said wall mamber, and at least one locator mounted on at least the other of said first side of said core and said second side of said wall member, wherein said at least one locator member is received in said at least one locator opening, whereby said wall member is located on said core.
  • 22. The invention of claim 21 wherein said at least one locator member comprises a base portion attached to said other of said first side of said core and said second side of said wall member and a post member extending from said base portion.
  • 23. The invention of claim 21 wherein said core comprises a frame and a pair of wall members attached to said frame.
  • 24. The invention of claim 21 wherein said core and said wall member each have a certerline, wherein said locator opening is formed in said one of said first side of said core and said second side of said wall member along said centerline of said one of said core and said wall member, and wherein said at least one locator member is mounted on the other of said first side of said core and said second side of said wall member along said centerline of said other of said core and said wall member.
  • 25. The invention of claim 21 wherein said locator opening is formed in said first side of said core and wherein said locator member is mounted on said wall member.
  • 26. The invention of claim 21 wherein said locator opening extends through an entire thickness of said one of said core and said wall member.
  • 27. A wall panel comprising;a core; a wall member mounted to said core; one of said core and said wall member having at least a first and second opening, wherein said second opening is slotted; and at least a first and second locator member disposed on the other of said core and said wall member, wherein said first locator member is received in said first opening and said second locator member is received in said slotted second opening, whereby said wall member is located on said core.
  • 28. A wall panel comprising:a sheet like member having an inner surface, an outer surface and a plurality of edges; a strip member comprising a first and second flange, said first flange overlying at least one of said edges of said wall member and said second flange overlying a portion of said inner surface of said wall member; a thin decorative sheet covering the outer surface of said wall member; and a plurality of fasteners inserted through said decorative sheet and said strip member and attaching said decorative sheet and said strip to said wall member.
  • 29. The invention of claim 28 wherein wall member comprises four edges, and further comprising four strip members, wherein said first flanges of said four strip members overlie said four edges of said wall member respectively.
  • 30. The invention of claim 29 wherein said wall member comprises four corners each defined by a junction of two of said edges, and wherein said second flanges of said four strip members are mitered on opposite ends of each of said strip members, said mitered ends of said second flanges mating at each of said corners of said wall member.
  • 31. The invention of claim 28 wherein said fasteners comprise staples.
Parent Case Info

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/178,061 filed Oct. 26, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,485 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (222)
Number Name Date Kind
1688134 Braunstein Oct 1928 A
2142005 Roberts Dec 1938 A
2766855 Johnson et al. Oct 1956 A
2970677 Springs, Jr. et al. Feb 1961 A
3066770 Millard et al. Dec 1962 A
3101817 Radek Aug 1963 A
3180459 Liskey, Jr. Apr 1965 A
3228157 Jacobson Jan 1966 A
3261625 Cripe Jul 1966 A
3276175 Birum, Jr. Oct 1966 A
3278175 Hirtz Oct 1966 A
3282006 Halsey et al. Nov 1966 A
3312025 Deakins Apr 1967 A
3320710 Byssing May 1967 A
3327440 Watkins Jun 1967 A
3343318 Birum, Jr. Sep 1967 A
3370389 Macaluso Feb 1968 A
3377756 Polhamus Apr 1968 A
3430997 Propst et al. Mar 1969 A
3477492 Suess Nov 1969 A
3486287 Guillon Dec 1969 A
3517467 Propst et al. Jun 1970 A
3529389 Wilkins Sep 1970 A
3546834 Murawski Dec 1970 A
3550337 Lorenz Dec 1970 A
3553916 Lickliter et al. Jan 1971 A
3621635 DeLange Nov 1971 A
3687496 Hindin Aug 1972 A
3691709 Ostborg Sep 1972 A
3745732 Pritchard et al. Jul 1973 A
3768222 Birum, Jr. Oct 1973 A
3771410 Swindt, II Nov 1973 A
3789567 Rae et al. Feb 1974 A
3797184 Thompson Mar 1974 A
3807102 Albinson et al. Apr 1974 A
3823251 Heithecker et al. Jul 1974 A
3871153 Birum, Jr. Mar 1975 A
3927924 Kelley Dec 1975 A
3987836 LeMay Oct 1976 A
4018019 Raith et al. Apr 1977 A
4030219 Donovan Jun 1977 A
4035972 Timmons Jul 1977 A
4047342 Boulva Sep 1977 A
4056903 Guarnere Nov 1977 A
4060294 Haworth et al. Nov 1977 A
4084366 Saylor et al. Apr 1978 A
4104838 Hage et al. Aug 1978 A
4120124 Temple et al. Oct 1978 A
4185422 Radek Jan 1980 A
4224769 Ball et al. Sep 1980 A
4245442 Durham Jan 1981 A
4250676 Presby Feb 1981 A
4269005 Timmons May 1981 A
4308695 Ehrsam Jan 1982 A
4310995 Hanna Jan 1982 A
4388790 Greco Jun 1983 A
4391069 Vermillion Jul 1983 A
4391073 Mollenkopf et al. Jul 1983 A
4395856 Smith et al. Aug 1983 A
4406101 Heidmann Sep 1983 A
4421811 Rose et al. Dec 1983 A
4434596 McAteer et al. Mar 1984 A
4438614 Raith et al. Mar 1984 A
4445956 Freeman et al. May 1984 A
4446669 Siegal May 1984 A
4448003 Hasbrouck May 1984 A
4450658 Legeai May 1984 A
4458461 Holley Jul 1984 A
4497148 Lopez Feb 1985 A
4535577 Tenser et al. Aug 1985 A
4545168 Dalton, Jr. Oct 1985 A
4557091 Auer Dec 1985 A
4567698 Morrison Feb 1986 A
4571906 Ashton Feb 1986 A
4571907 DeFouw et al. Feb 1986 A
4573513 Small et al. Mar 1986 A
4593508 Curatolo Jun 1986 A
4601137 Bates Jul 1986 A
4601146 Harter et al. Jul 1986 A
4606959 Hillinger Aug 1986 A
4624094 Schwindt Nov 1986 A
4625476 Shimada Dec 1986 A
4625483 Zackey et al. Dec 1986 A
4630416 Lapins et al. Dec 1986 A
4631881 Charman Dec 1986 A
4642957 Edwards Feb 1987 A
4644993 Cooper et al. Feb 1987 A
4667450 Stefnik et al. May 1987 A
4689929 Wright Sep 1987 A
4689930 Menchetti Sep 1987 A
4709517 Mitchell et al. Dec 1987 A
4712336 Backer Dec 1987 A
4716692 Harper et al. Jan 1988 A
4716698 Wilson et al. Jan 1988 A
4716699 Crossman et al. Jan 1988 A
4719730 Winkowski Jan 1988 A
4719731 Ravotti et al. Jan 1988 A
4771583 Ball et al. Sep 1988 A
RE32890 DeFouw et al. Mar 1989 E
4821473 Thoburn et al. Apr 1989 A
4821476 Thoburn et al. Apr 1989 A
4821477 Rydqvist Apr 1989 A
4821788 Nelson Apr 1989 A
4841699 Wilson et al. Jun 1989 A
4852317 Schiavello et al. Aug 1989 A
4860812 DePietro et al. Aug 1989 A
4881349 Brown et al. Nov 1989 A
4891920 Pingston Jan 1990 A
4891922 Hozer et al. Jan 1990 A
4905334 Oppenhuizen Mar 1990 A
4905428 Sykes Mar 1990 A
4907384 Underwood Mar 1990 A
4914873 Newhouse Apr 1990 A
4914878 Tamaki et al. Apr 1990 A
4928465 Del Castillo Von Haucke May 1990 A
4935281 Tolbert et al. Jun 1990 A
4936066 Rutsche et al. Jun 1990 A
4947601 McGuire Aug 1990 A
4949519 Jeffers Aug 1990 A
4962805 Allen Oct 1990 A
4993205 Dull et al. Feb 1991 A
4996811 Dull et al. Mar 1991 A
5003740 Dull et al. Apr 1991 A
5005325 Dull et al. Apr 1991 A
5009043 Kurrasch Apr 1991 A
5025603 Johnson Jun 1991 A
5033526 DeLong et al. Jul 1991 A
5038539 Kelley et al. Aug 1991 A
5054255 Maninfior Oct 1991 A
5056285 Frascaroli et al. Oct 1991 A
5056577 DeLong et al. Oct 1991 A
5058347 Schuelke et al. Oct 1991 A
5060434 Allison Oct 1991 A
5062246 Sykes Nov 1991 A
5065556 DeLong et al. Nov 1991 A
5067294 McGowan Nov 1991 A
5069263 Edwards Dec 1991 A
5070666 Looman Dec 1991 A
5086606 Finses Feb 1992 A
5088541 Persing et al. Feb 1992 A
5097643 Wittler Mar 1992 A
5106668 Turner et al. Apr 1992 A
5117599 Voss Jun 1992 A
5134826 LaRoche et al. Aug 1992 A
5159793 Duego et al. Nov 1992 A
5172530 Fishel et al. Dec 1992 A
5174086 Payne et al. Dec 1992 A
5175969 Knauf et al. Jan 1993 A
5187908 Losensky Feb 1993 A
5216859 Moreno et al. Jun 1993 A
5233803 Bockmiller Aug 1993 A
5238515 Insalaco et al. Aug 1993 A
5251413 Goodman Oct 1993 A
5274970 Roberts Jan 1994 A
5274975 Haag Jan 1994 A
5277005 Hellwig et al. Jan 1994 A
5277007 Hellwig et al. Jan 1994 A
5285602 Felton Feb 1994 A
5287666 Frascaroli et al. Feb 1994 A
5305567 Wittler Apr 1994 A
5341615 Hodges et al. Aug 1994 A
5347778 Bray Sep 1994 A
5377461 DeGrada et al. Jan 1995 A
5377466 Insalaco et al. Jan 1995 A
5382719 Fagan Jan 1995 A
5394558 Arakawa et al. Feb 1995 A
5394658 Schreiner et al. Mar 1995 A
5394668 Lim Mar 1995 A
5400560 Hellwig et al. Mar 1995 A
5406760 Edwards Apr 1995 A
5430984 Young et al. Jul 1995 A
5433046 MacQuarrie et al. Jul 1995 A
5460865 Tsotsis Oct 1995 A
5479747 Wu Jan 1996 A
5487246 Hodges et al. Jan 1996 A
5490357 Lin Feb 1996 A
5491943 Vondrejs et al. Feb 1996 A
5522128 Suave Jun 1996 A
5543198 Wilson Aug 1996 A
5546718 Way Aug 1996 A
5561960 Minnick et al. Oct 1996 A
5562469 Nienhuis et al. Oct 1996 A
5586593 Schwartz Dec 1996 A
5589016 Hoopingarner et al. Dec 1996 A
5600926 Ehrlich Feb 1997 A
5603370 Boer Feb 1997 A
5606841 Carter, Jr. Mar 1997 A
5634305 Erlanger Jun 1997 A
5638650 Edwards Jun 1997 A
5638653 Rossi Jun 1997 A
5642593 Shieh Jul 1997 A
5644878 Wehrmann Jul 1997 A
5657885 White et al. Aug 1997 A
5682719 Huang Nov 1997 A
5692345 Mogaki et al. Dec 1997 A
5724779 Chang Mar 1998 A
5737887 Smeenge Apr 1998 A
5737893 Rossiter et al. Apr 1998 A
5746034 Luchetti et al. May 1998 A
5746035 Seiber et al. May 1998 A
5802789 Goodman et al. Sep 1998 A
5806258 Miedema et al. Sep 1998 A
5809714 Kurrasch et al. Sep 1998 A
5809715 Tanaka Sep 1998 A
5839240 Elsholz et al. Nov 1998 A
5852904 Yu et al. Dec 1998 A
5867955 Russell Feb 1999 A
5870867 Mitchell Feb 1999 A
5875596 Muller Mar 1999 A
5896710 Hoyle Apr 1999 A
5899025 Casey et al. May 1999 A
5899035 Waalkes et al. May 1999 A
5918422 Bucher, Jr. Jul 1999 A
5930963 Nichols Aug 1999 A
5974742 Schreiner et al. Nov 1999 A
6000179 Musculus et al. Dec 1999 A
6003273 Elsholz et al. Dec 1999 A
6009675 Waalkes et al. Jan 2000 A
6009676 Feldpausch et al. Jan 2000 A
6047509 Savoie Apr 2000 A
6052958 Miedema et al. Apr 2000 A
6167665 Dame et al. Apr 2001 B1
Non-Patent Literature Citations (15)
Entry
U.S. application No. 09/598,885, Filed Jun. 21, 2000, Inventors: Beck et al.
“Ethospace Interiors Planning Guide, 1st Edition,” Herman Miller, Source Book© 1985, pp. 1-107.
“Action Office® Planning Guide Series 2 Panels,” Herman Miller Planning Guide, 07/91.
“Action Office® Series 3 Panels,” Herman Miller Planning Guide, 01/93.
“Action Art®: The Physical System,” Herman Miller booklet, 1980.
“Action Office® Series 1 Panels (Action Office) and attaching components,” Herman Miller Price Book, Sep. 30, 1991.
Action Office® Series 2 Panels (Action Office Encore®) and attaching components, Herman Miller Canada Price Book, Sep. 30, 1991 pp. 49-52.
“Action Office® Series 3 Panels and attaching components,” Herman Miller Price Book, Jul. 15, 1991.
“Action Office® Series 3 Panels,” Planning Guide 1/93.
“Action Office® Series 1 & 2 Systems Panels and Energy Components.” Herman Miller Price Book Addendum, 1995, pp. 1-3.
“Action Office® Series 1 Panels and attaching components,” Herman Miller, Mar. 1, 1993.
Shaw-Walker Tempo 3™ Office System brochure, “Furniture In The Fully Integrated Work Environment,” (undated).
Shaw-Walker© TEMPO 300 Installation Manual, “Open Plan Systems,” 1990.
Knoll Morrison brochure, “The Morrison Systems,” pp. 1-32 (undated).
Herman Miller, Source Book “Ethospace Planning Guide,” 1987, pp. 1-107.