Combined noise seal and retainer for panel

In a privacy-type vertical wall arrangement extending between a ceiling and a floor, said wall arrangement including a space-divider panel projecting upwardly from the floor to an elevation spaced downwardly a substantial distance from the ceiling, and a privacy panel means extending vertically between the upper edge of said space-divider panel and said ceiling, said privacy panel means including a lower horizontally-elongated support track fixed to the upper edge of the space-divider panel and an upper horizontally-elongated support track fixed to said ceiling, the lower support track defining therein a lower horizontally-elongated upwardly-opening channellike recess therein, said upper support track defining an upper horizontally-elongated downwardly-opening channellike recess therein, said upper recess being vertically aligned above said lower recess, upper and lower horizontally-elongated striplike retainers respectively positioned within the upper and lower recesses, and a privacy panel extending vertically between and having the upper and lower edges thereof respectively retained within the upper and lower retainers, comprising the improvement wherein:

• said upper and lower retainers are identical in cross section;
• said upper and lower recesses being defined between substantially parallel side walls which are spaced a predetermined distance apart, said side walls being joined by an end wall which is located at an end of the recess opposite the open end thereof;
• said retainer when viewed in cross section having as pair of approximately parallel elongated cantilevered first legs which have one end thereof rigidly joined together by a base wall, said first legs at the other ends thereof being free so that said legs define a deep channel therebetween which is closed at its inner end by said base wall;
• said retainer also having a pair of cantilevered second legs which are joined to the one end of said first legs and project in the opposite direction therefrom so that said second legs project in the opposite direction away from said base wall, said second legs being of short extent and projecting outwardly so as to terminate in free ends, said second legs defining a shallow channel therebetween which is closed at its inner end by said base wall;
• said retainer being constructed of a plastics material so that said first and second legs can be elastically deflected through a limited extent;
• a flange integrally associated with each said first and second legs adjacent the free end thereof, each said latter flange projecting in a sideward outward direction relative to the respective leg so as to terminate in a free edge, whereby the flanges associated with said first and second legs define flared mouths to facilitate insertion of the privacy panel into the respective channel;
• the opposed pairs of first and second legs at the outer ends thereof, where they join to the respective flanges, defining mouth openings having widths which are slightly less than the widths of the respective channels and which are also slightly less than the width of the privacy panel;
• said first legs at a location intermediate the ends thereof being provided with a slightly outwardly bowed portion, the transverse width of the retainer across the bowed portions being slightly greater than the width of the recess so that the bowed portions slidably and sealingly contact the sidewalls of the recess and cause a slight inward resilient deflection of the first legs toward one another;
• said upper retainer being disposed within said upper recess so that the second legs are disposed uppermost, the first legs of the upper retainer being directed downwardly so that the deep channel opens downwardly through the open end of the upper recess, said first legs being resiliently deflected for sealing contact with the sides walls of said upper recess, and said first legs adjacent the free ends thereof being disposed in sealing contact with opposite sides of the privacy panel adjacent the upper edge thereof, the upper edge of said privacy panel projecting into said deep channel but being spaced downwardly a substantial distance from the base wall of the upper retainer;
• and
• said lower retainer being disposed within the lower recess such that said first legs project downwardly, said first legs being in sealing contact with said side walls and having the free edges of the flanges supportingly engaged with the base wall of said lower recess, the second legs of said lower retainer being slightly resiliently deflected outwardly due to the lower edge portion of the privacy panel being inserted therebetween whereby the free ends of the second legs sealingly engage the opposite sides of the privacy panel, and the lower edge of the privacy panel being supportingly engaged on the base wall of the lower retainer.