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US 9,982,480 B2Granted
Collapsible wall
AssigneeAdvanced Equipment Corporation
InventorFrank V. Manning
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collapsible wall including a support frame and a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame with at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other. A second series of panels are configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels and include at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other. A bottom sill opposite the support frame is pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels. A motor assembly is mounted on the support frame and configured to raise or lower at least one lifting element to raise or lower the bottom sill to collapse or extend the panels in the first and second series of panels.
Claims36
A collapsible wall, comprising:
- a support frame constructed to suspend from a structure of a building;
- a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame, the first series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a second series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels, the second series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a bottom sill opposite the support frame and pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels;
- at least one lifting element coupled to the support frame and arranged to lower the bottom sill;
- a motor assembly mounted on the support frame and configured to lower the at least one lifting element so as to lower the bottom sill to extend the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels vertically away from the support frame and extend the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels vertically away from the support frame;
- a closure mechanism mounted on the support frame;
- a first hinge connected to a first pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels with one end portion of the first hinge connected to a first panel of the first pair of adjacent panels and an opposite end portion of the first hinge connected to a second panel of the first pair of adjacent panels;
- a second hinge connected to a second pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels with one end portion of the second hinge connected to a first panel of the second pair of adjacent panels and an opposite end portion of the second hinge connected to a second panel of the second pair of adjacent panels;
- a first sheave connected to the first hinge;
- a second sheave connected to the second hinge;
- and
- a closure cable engaged with the closure mechanism, the first sheave, and the second sheave;
- wherein the closure mechanism is configured to tighten the closure cable to pull the first pair of adjacent panels and the second pair of adjacent panels laterally inward toward each other when the collapsible wall is in a fully extended state.
11 more elements
A collapsible wall, comprising:
- a support frame constructed to suspend from a structure of a building;
- a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame, the first series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a second series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels, the second series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a bottom sill opposite the support frame and pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels;
- at least one lifting element coupled to the support frame and arranged to raise the bottom sill;
- a motor assembly mounted on the support frame and configured to raise the at least one lifting element so as to raise the bottom sill to collapse the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels vertically toward the support frame and collapse the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels vertically toward the support frame;
- and
- at least one compression device including a biased pushrod, the compression device mounted on a first panel of a pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels such that the biased pushrod contacts a second panel of the pair of adjacent panels so as to bias the pair of adjacent panels to collapse laterally outward away from the bottom sill.
5 more elements
A collapsible wall, comprising:
- a support frame configured to suspend from a structure of a building;
- a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame, the first series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a second series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels, the second series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a bottom sill pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels;
- at least one lifting element in contact with the bottom sill;
- a motor assembly configured to actuate the at least one lifting element so as to move the bottom sill relative to the support frame so as to laterally fold or laterally unfold the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels and the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels;
- at least one actuator mounted on the support frame and configured to connect the support frame to the structure of the building;
- and
- a controller electrically connected to the at least one actuator and configured to control the at least one actuator to raise or lower the support frame.
6 more elements
A collapsible wall, comprising:
- a support frame configured to suspend from a structure of a building;
- a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame, the first series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a second series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels, the second series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a bottom sill pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels;
- at least one lifting element in contact with the bottom sill;
- a motor assembly configured to actuate the at least one lifting element so as to move the bottom sill relative to the support frame so as to laterally fold or laterally unfold the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels and the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels;
- a first cross brace pivotally coupled on one end portion of the first cross brace to a bottom panel in the first series of panels and pivotally coupled on an opposite end portion of the first cross brace to an adjacent panel pivotally coupled to a bottom panel in the second series of panels;
- and
- a second cross brace pivotally coupled on one end portion of the second cross brace to the bottom panel in the second series of panels and pivotally coupled on an opposite end portion of the second cross brace to an adjacent panel pivotally coupled to the bottom panel in the first series of panels,
- wherein the first cross brace and the second cross brace are pivotally coupled to each other at a center portion of the first cross brace and at a center portion of the second cross brace so as to synchronize lateral folding or lateral unfolding of the bottom panels and the adjacent panels in the first series of panels and the second series of panels.
7 more elements
A collapsible wall, comprising:
- a support frame constructed to suspend from a structure of a building;
- a first series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame, the first series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a second series of panels configured to suspend from the support frame opposite the first series of panels, the second series of panels including at least one pair of adjacent panels pivotally connected to each other;
- a bottom sill opposite the support frame and pivotally connected to a bottom portion of the first series of panels and to a bottom portion of the second series of panels;
- at least one lifting element coupled to the support frame and arranged to lower the bottom sill;
- a motor assembly mounted on the support frame and configured to lower the at least one lifting element so as to lower the bottom sill to extend the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the first series of panels vertically away from the support frame and extend the at least one pair of adjacent panels in the second series of panels vertically away from the support frame;
- a horizontal actuator mounted on the bottom sill;
- a pushrod connected to the horizontal actuator;
- and
- a hinged seal positioned near an edge of the bottom sill and connected to the pushrod such that actuation of the horizontal actuator rotates the hinged seal away or toward a floor of the building when the collapsible wall is in a fully extended state.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.