Leading end assemblies for movable partitions having an articulated lead member, and related systems and methods
AssigneeWon-Door Corporation
InventorsWilliam Michael Coleman, R. Scott Smart, Tracy M. Knight, Ivan W. Stewart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Movable partitions may include leading end assemblies comprising an articulated leading member. The articulated leading member may be coupled to a support trolley, and at least one coupling between the articulated leading member and the trolley enables the articulated leading member to move relative to the support trolley. Methods of operating a movable partition include displacing a portion of a leading end assembly to align a majority of at least one surface of the leading end assembly with a portion of an adjacent structure.
Claims20
A movable partition system, comprising:
- a movable partition comprising:
- a plurality of hingedly coupled panels movably coupled to a track;
- and
- a leading end assembly coupled to at least one panel of the plurality of hingedly coupled panels, the leading end assembly comprising:
- a support trolley for moving the leading end assembly along the track;
- and
- an articulated leading member coupled to the support trolley, wherein at least one coupling between the leading member and the trolley enables the articulated leading member to move relative to the support trolley.
A leading end assembly for a movable partition system, comprising:
- a trolley for moving the leading end assembly along a track;
- an articulated leading member coupled to the trolley with a articulated coupling, a resilient coupling, and a counter-balancing coupling, the counter-balancing coupling applying a biasing force to the articulated leading member countering a weight imbalance of the articulated leading member about the articulated coupling.
A method of operating a movable partition, the method comprising:
- moving a movable partition along an overhead track between a retracted position and an extended position;
- contacting an adjacent structure with a portion of an articulated leading member;
- and
- responsive to contacting the adjacent structure with the articulated leading member, displacing the articulated leading member to align a majority of at least one surface of the articulated leading member with a portion of the adjacent structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.