US 5,274,971 AGranted

Rapidly erectable, removable, reusable and raisable outdoor acoustical wall system and method

AssigneeJTE, Inc.

InventorsJ. Thomas Elmore, Alan Veatch, William C. Clements

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Abstract

A rapidly erectable, removable, reusable, and raisable acoustical wall system is provided that comprises a plurality of wall panels, each of which has opposing side edges which include a front edge and a back edge, a plurality of panel support posts having pairs of parallel flanges for receiving the side edges of the wall panels to form a wall, and a plurality of wedging members for forcefully securing the front side edges of the panels into an acoustically-obstructing engagement with the front flanges of the panel support posts. Wedge-receiving recesses are provided at the top and bottom of each of the back side edges of the panels, the top recesses of one panel being registrable with the bottom recesses of another panel when two panels are stacked between the same support posts. Each wedging member is about the same length as two aligned wedge-receiving recesses so that a single wedging member may be used to forcefully engage the front side edges of two different panels against the front flanges of their respective support posts. In the method of the invention, the erection of the walls is expedited by the wedging members, which function to forcefully engage the bottom half of a wall panel into acoustically-obstructing engagement with its respective support post simply by the act of stacking one wall panel over another. Additionally, the resulting wall may be easily raised at another location by mounting extension members on the tops of the support posts, and sliding additional wall panels between the heightened posts.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A rapidly erectable, removable and raisable post and panel outdoor acoustical wall system comprising:

at least first and second wall panels, each of which includes spaced, opposed first and second faces bordered by a panel top edge, a panel bottom edge, and first and second, spaced panel side edges extending between said panel top and bottom edges;
first and second spaced, elongate panel support posts each having spaced first and second flanges which define a longitudinally extending slot for receiving a side edge of said first and second wall panels, the longitudinally extending slot in said first panel support post receiving the first side edges of said first and second wall panels with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces respectively of said first and second wall panels in a first area adjacent to said first side edge thereof, and the longitudinally extending slot in said second panel support post receiving the second side edges of said first and second wall panels with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces respectively of said first and second wall panels in a second area adjacent to said second side edges thereof, said second wall panel being received in the longitudinally extending slots of said first and second panel support posts with the bottom edge thereof in contact with the top edge of said first wall panel;
said first wall panel including a top recess formed in the first face thereof in each of said first and second areas, each of said top recesses being in the form of an open channel extending downwardly from the top edge of said first wall panel and having an end opening at said top edge, and said second wall panel including a bottom recess formed in each of the first and second areas of the first face thereof to be coextensive with the top recesses in said first wall panel when the first and second wall panels are mounted in the longitudinally extending slots in said panel support posts, each of said bottom recesses being in the form of an open channel extending upwardly from the bottom edge of said second wall panel and having an end opening at said bottom edge,
and a removable wedging means mounted in each of the coextensive top and bottom recesses of said first and second wall panels to engage the first flanges of said first and second support posts to force the first and second areas of the second faces of said first and second wall panels which are opposite to said top and bottom recesses against the second flanges of said panel support posts.

1 more element

A rapidly erectable, removable, reusable and raisable post and panel outdoor acoustical wall system comprising:

at least first and second wall panels, each of which includes spaced, opposed first and second faces bordered by a panel top edge, a panel bottom edge and first and second panel side edges extending between said panel top and bottom edges,
first and second spaced, elongate panel support posts each having spaced first and second flanges which define a longitudinally extending slot for receiving a side edge of said first and second panels, the longitudinally extending slot in said first panel support post receiving the first side edges of said first and second wall panels with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces respectively of said first and second wall panels in a first area adjacent to said first side thereof, and the longitudinally extending slot in said second panel support post receiving the second side edges of said first and second wall panels with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces respectively of said first and second wall panels in a second area adjacent to said second side edges thereof, said second wall panel being received in the longitudinally extending slots of said first and second panel support posts with the bottom edge thereof in contact with the top edge of said first wall panel;
and separate removable wedging means mounted between said first and second wall panels and said first and second elongate panel support to extend substantially parallel to said support posts in the first and second areas of each of said first and second wall panels adjacent to the top edge of said first wall panel and adjacent to the top and bottom edges of said second wall panel, said wedging means extending between and engaging the first face of said first and second wall panels and the first flanges of said first and second support posts to force the second face of said first and second wall panels against the second flanges of said panel support posts.

A rapidly erectable, removable, reusable and raisable post and panel outdoor acoustical wall system comprising:

a wall panel which includes spaced, opposed first and second faces bordered by a panel top edge, a panel bottom edge and first and second spaced panel side edges extending between said panel top and bottom edges, said wall panel including a plurality of wedge receiving means formed in said first face thereof,
first and second spaced, elongate panel support posts each having spaced first and second flanges which define a longitudinally extending slot for receiving a side edge of said wall panel, the longitudinally extending slot in said first panel support post receiving the first side edge of said wall panel with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces of said wall panel in a first area adjacent to said first side edge, and the longitudinally extending slot in said second panel support post receiving the second side edge of said wall panel with the first and second flanges thereof overlying the first and second faces of said wall panel in a second area adjacent to said second side edge,
and removable elongate wedging means mounted between said wall panel and said first and second elongate panel support posts in the first and second areas adjacent to the top edge of said wall panel and in the first and second areas adjacent to the bottom edge of said wall panel to extend substantially parallel to said first and second support posts, the wedge receiving means formed for receiving and retaining said removable wedging means
said wedging means extending between and engaging the first face of said wall panel and the first flanges of said first and second support posts to force the second face of said wall panel against the second flanges of said panel support posts.

1 more element

An outdoor acoustical wall panel for use with first and second panel support posts each having spaced first and second flanges which define a longitudinally extending slot for receiving a side edge of said wall panel and separate, removable wedges to engage one face of the panel and the first flange of a support post and force a second opposed face of said panel into acoustically obstructing engagement with the second flange of said support post, said wall panel comprising:

opposed first and second faces bordered by a top edge, a bottom edge and first and second side edges,
first and second top wedge receiving recesses formed in the first face of said panel adjacent to said first and second side edges respectively, each of said top wedge receiving recesses being in the form of an open channel extending inwardly from said top edge and having an end opening at said top edge, and
first and second bottom wedge receiving recesses formed in the first face of said panel adjacent to said first and second side edges respectively, each of said bottom wedge receiving recesses being in the form of an open channel extending inwardly from said bottom edge and having an end opening at said bottom edge, the open channels of said top and bottom wedge receiving recesses each including a tapered wall to receive a wedge, said first top and bottom wedge receiving recesses being in substantial alignment and said second top and bottom wedge receiving recesses being in substantial alignment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.