GB2574012A

GB2574012A - Portable screen

Info

Publication number: GB2574012A
Application number: GB1808345.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: D Gates John
Original assignee: Westgate Group
Current assignee: Westgate Group
Priority date: 2018-05-22
Filing date: 2018-05-22
Publication date: 2019-11-27
Also published as: GB201808345D0

Abstract

The screen 10 comprises a rigid wall panel 12 of a first weight, and a weight assembly 20 extending orthogonally from a lower edge 12b of the wall panel and being perpendicular to the principal plane of the wall panel, the weight assembly having a wheel 26c at a distal end and comprising a bulk of material that substantially counter-balances the first weight. The weight assembly may comprise a pair of elongated weighted feet, each foot having a first end affixed at the lower edge of the panel and a longitudinally opposing second end at which the wheel is mounted. The second end of each foot may have a plate 28 to which the wheel is affixed. The feet may be offset from respective corners of the wall panel by the same distance. The weight assembly may be a weighted cross beam. The wheel may be a castor wheel comprising a stopper and a stop member 24. A locking assembly may be slidably mounted on at least one of the feet between the stopper and the stop member. The wall panel may include sound-absorbing ribs 14.

Description

PORTABLE SCREEN

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a portable screen and, more particularly, to a portable screen member for use, usually with other, similar screen members, to provide a dividing wall or partition within a space.

Background of the Invention

There are many applications in which it is required to divide large areas, such as rooms, halls, factories, offices, etc. into smaller, usable areas, and it is known to use portable wall panels or ‘screens’ to delineate such areas.

A typical portable dividing wall member or ‘screen’ comprises a planar wall panel mounted on (at least a pair of spaced-apart) wheel-bearing arms that extend orthogonally to the plane of the wall panel and substantially parallel to the ground surface when the portable screen is in use. At each end of each arm, there is provided a wheel or, more typically, four wheels or castors to enable the portable screen to be conveniently moved, by pushing, around a space to a desired location. Multiple such portable screens can be connected together at their longitudinal edges to form a wall of any desired width and configuration (within the constraints of the larger area).

Whilst such portable screens are in widespread use in many different forms and applications, there are a number of drawbacks associated with them. Firstly, the wheel or castor-bearing arms extend substantially equally beyond both the ‘front’ and ‘rear’ planes of the wall member when the portable screen is oriented for use. The length of the arms (and, therefore, the distance by which they protrude, equally, to the front and rear of the wall panel) is dependent on the height and weight of the wall panel, as the arms provide the counter-balance required to provide adequate stability to the upright wall panel. The portion of the arm that extends to the Tear’ of the wall panel presents a significant limitation in relation to the placement of the screens relative to obstructions, such as walls and support posts. The portion of the arm that extends beyond the ‘front’ of the wall panel when it is in situ presents a significant trip hazard as well as being unsightly and presenting an obstruction to placement of other articles, such as furniture, against the wall formed by the portable screen. It is to be understood that the principal planar surfaces of the wall panel form its ‘front’ and rear’, whilst the ‘front’ may comprise the surface is facing outward within the smaller space delineated by the partition wall, whereas the Tear’ is the opposite surface and may, in at least some applications, be adjacent a wall of the larger space, although the invention described hereinafter is not intended to be limited in this regard.

Another significant limitation of prior art portable screens lies in the number of wheel/castor-bearing arms that may be provided along the width of a portable screen. This will, of course, be dependent on the height and weight of the wall panel, and the structural integrity of the arms themselves, to ensure that the wall panel is adequately and stably supported in an upright configuration. In use, the portable screen (or composite partition wall formed of multiple portable screens connected together) will need to be sufficiently stable to withstand significant force (dependent on application) without toppling over. Therefore, the arms will not only need to be quite long and structurally quite significant to provide the required counter-balance, it is also likely that more than one pairs of arms will be required (especially for larger portable screens), which adds significant weight to each portable screen.

Still further, and more generally, the wheel/castor-bearing arms in prior art portable screens present significant storage and handling issues, in that they cannot be conveniently stacked and they can be difficult to handle and carry manually due to the protruding arms.

US Patent Application Publication no. US2008086964A purports to address some of these issues, and describes a portable wall partition formed of a plurality of wall panels where the panels may have single caster wheels mounted on arms extending from one edge of the base of the panels. However, the castor-bearing arms do not provide the required support for the wall panel. Instead, the required support for any single wall panel is provided by at least one second panel provided at a side edge and angled relative thereto to provide the required support, in use, and the castorbearing arm can be swivelled to an angle relative to the first panel o counter-balance the second panel (the angle of the arm being dependent on the angle of the second panel relative to the first panel. For longer walls (i.e. two or more wall panels in a row), a second panel is required at each end, angled relative to its adjacent wall panel, to provide the required support and stability. However, none of the portable screens are free-standing in their own right, and the configurations and applications for which the described arrangements are suitable are severely limited, not just in terms of size and weight of the individual wall panels and the number of wall panels that can be connected in a row (all of which are limited by the need for the end stabilising panels), but also because it is not possible to configure a single, smooth surfaced wall as the angled end wall panels are essential to maintain the wall upright and stable: the intermediate arm/wheel unit simply provides extra support mid-span.

It is an object of aspects of the present invention to address at least some of these issues and provide a free-standing, fully mobile portable screen which circumvents at least some of the problems described above and provides a portable screen (or partition wall member) that can provide, in use, a smooth surfaced temporary wall with little or no protrusion on one side.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable screen comprising a rigid wall panel of a first weight and having opposing first and second longitudinal edges and a pair of side edges, the second longitudinal edge forming a lower edge of the wall panel when the screen is oriented for use, the portable screen further comprising a weight assembly extending substantially orthogonally from said lower edge of said wall panel and being substantially perpendicular to the principal plane thereof, said weight assembly having mounted thereon, at distal end, a wheel, the weight assembly comprising or including a bulk of material of a selected weight that substantially counter-balances said first weight.

In an exemplary embodiment, the weight assembly comprises a pair of elongate, weighted feet, each foot having a first end affixed at the lower edge of the wall panel, and a longitudinally opposing end at which a respective wheel is mounted, the combined weight of said weighted feet being such that it counter-balances the weight of the wall panel. In an exemplary embodiment, the weighted feet are offset from a respective corner of the wall panel by substantially the same distance. That distance may, advantageously be less then 25% of the total length of the lower edge of the wall panel, and is selected to further counter-balance the weight of the wall panel and stabilise the assembly.

In another exemplary embodiment, the weight assembly may comprise a weighted cross beam that extends substantially perpendicularly from the lower edge of the wall panel along a length thereof defined between first and second locations, said frist and second locations being offset from a respective corner of the wall panel hy substantially the same distance.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the wheel may comprise a castor wheel which, optionally, includes a stopper.

In an exemplary embodiment, where the weight assembly comprises a pair of weighted feet, a first plate is provided at each said longitudinally opposing second end, and a respective castor wheel assembly is affixed to each said first plate. In an exemplary embodiment, a stop member, for example, a second plate, may be provided on one or each of the weighted feet, and wherein a locking assembly is slidably mounted on at least one of said weighted feet, between said stop member and the stopper of the castor wheel, and movable between a first, unlocked configuration, in which the wheel can rotate freely, and a second configuration, in which the locking assembly engages with the stopper and rotation of the wheel is prevented.

Additional loose weights may be mounted or otherwise provided in or on the weight assembly, to provide additional stability if required.

The wall panel may include sound-absorbing ribs, and may be configured to accept additional features, such as radius corner profiles or floor-mounted door access modules; the wall panel may be additionally or alternatively configured to receive, mounted thereon, commercially specific accessories, such as retail hanging rails or literature racks, etc.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the weight assembly (e.g. in the form of the wheel-bearing weighted feet described above) may protrude from only a first side of the wall panel, with no protrusion at all at the opposing side. However, some exemplary embodiments may require a very small protrusion of the weight assembly to the opposing side of the wall panel (e.g. no more than 100 mm or so), either to increase the weight of the weight assembly to accommodate a larger wall panel without increasing the length of the protrusion at the first side, or to reduce the length of the protrusion at the first side by adding a negligible protrusion at the opposing side to maintain the required counter-balancing weight. In all cases, the claimed design allows the ground clearance of the wall panel to be minimised by optimising the shape and dimensions of the weight assembly.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic rear perspective view of a portable screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective close-up view of the detail A delineated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the detail of Figure 2, including a locking assembly;

Figure 4 is a schematic ‘rear’ view of a portable screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of a portable screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a portable screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a generally rectangular, rigid wall panel 12, such as a hollow core PVC panel, steel faced composite panel or solid timber-based board,, which may incorporate sound-absorbing ribs. 14. The screen 10 is illustrated in an orientation suitable for use and, as such, the wall panel 12 comprises an upper edge 12a, an opposing lower edge 12b and a pair of opposing side edges 12c. However, no other limitation is intended to be inferred byb these directional and relational terms.

An elongate metal sheath 16 is affixed or otherwise provided along substantially the entire length of the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12. A pair of elongate arms 18 is mounted, via the metal sheath 16, to the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12 such that the longitudinal axis of each arm is substantially orthogonal to the principal plane of the wall panel 12 and substantially perpendicular to its side edges 12c.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, it can be seen that each arm 18 comprises an elongate weighted foot member 20, formed of mild steel having exemplary dimensions 575x90x40mm (although the length, in particular, can be selected according to specific requirements), and having first and second longitudinally opposing ends and first and second planar surfaces therebetween (hereinafter referred to as an ‘upper’ surface and a ‘lower’ surface in relation to the screen 10 when oriented for use. The first end of each weighted foot 20 is adjacent the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12 and affixed to the metal sheath 16 thereon by means of a first metal plate 22 affixed between the upper surface of the weighted foot 20 and the metal sheath 16.

A second, elongate metal plate 24 is affixed, or otherwise provided, on the upper surface of the weighted foot 20, such that a substantial portion (e.g. more than 50% or even more than 75%) of its length extends beyond the second end thereof. A castor wheel 26, or similar rotational conveying device, is mounted on a lower surface of the protruding portion of the second metal plate 24. A castor wheel typically comprises a top plate 26a from which a pair of opposing, spaced-apart forks 26b extend. At the distal ends of the forks 26b, a wheel 26c is mounted via an axle shaft and bearing assembly that extends through the centre of the wheel 26c, between the distal ends of the forks 26b. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the castor wheel 26 is mounted such that its top plate 26a is adjacent the lower surface of the protruding portion of the second metal plate 24, and a portion thereof extends, longitudinally beyond the distal end of the second metal plate 24. The castor wheel 26, thus mounted, can swivel around an axis that is substantially parallel to the side edges 12c of the wall panel 12 as well as being able to rotate about the axis defined by the axle shaft extending through the centre of the wheel 26c.

A third metal plate 28 is mounted on the upper surface of the weighted foot 20, between, and in spaced-apart relation to, the first and second metal plates 22, 24.

The castor wheel 26 includes a stopper (not shown) which, when actuated, acts to prevent swivelling and rotation of the wheel 26c. Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, a locking assembly 30 is slidably mounted between the distal edge 28a of the third metal plate 28 (furthest from the wall panel 12) and the castor wheel 26. The locking assembly 30 comprises a housing 30a that sits over the second metal plate 24 and the portion of the weighted foot between the above-mentioned distal edge 28a of the third metal plate 28 and the castor wheel 26, and is longitudinally slidable relative thereto between a first position, in which it is immediately adjacent to the above-mentioned edge 28a of the third metal plate 28 (and prevented thereby from further slidable movement toward the wall panel 12), and a second position, in which a locking portion thereof (not shown) engages with the stopper of the castor wheel 26 and, effectively, locks it against further movement. A releasable locking mechanism may be provided in the housing 30a, and selectively applied and released by an external actuating means 30b, to lock the locking assembly 30 in one of the above-mentioned two positions and selectively release the locking assembly for slidable movement therebetween, as required. Then locking assembly is of a size, weight and type suitable to lock the size of castor wheel being used (and counteract the likely forces acting thereon), and the present invention is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard.

Referring back to Figure 1 of the drawings and, additionally, Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, the arms 18 are located in spaced apart relation along the length of the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12. Thus, each arm 18 is located nearer a different respective side edge 12cthan the other. However, the arms 18 are not located immediately adjacent a respective side edge 12c of the wall panel 12 but, instead, is advantageously offset from a respective corner of the wall panel by a distance of, for example, no more than 25% (and more likely less) of the length of the lower edge 12b of the wall panel. This offset, in combination with the weighted arms 18, is highly advantageous and provides a unique assembly having significant benefits over the prior art, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

In use, and with the locking assembly 30 in the above-mentioned first position, the screen 10 can be easily wheeled to a desired location. If the screen is to be located against an obstruction, such as a wall or a support post, the side of the screen from which the arms 18 protrude (the ‘rear’ of the wall panel) will beneficially face the obstruction when located for use, with the other side (the ‘front’ of the wall panel) facing outwardly. Once the screen is positioned at the desired location, the wheels can be locked by sliding the locking assembly 30 to the second position referenced above. Multiple such screens can be located in side-by-side relation to form a smooth surfaced wall (i.e. without any protrusion) at the ‘front’ of any desired length and configuration. Connecting members (not shown) may be provided to connect the screens together, if required, but this is not necessary, since the required stability and support for each free-standing screen is provided by its own pair of weighted, offset arms. In an exemplary embodiment, the side edges 12c of each wall panel 12 may be profiled so that adjacent wall panels can engage therewith to form a flush joint, primarily for aesthetic purposes.

As stated above, and already briefly noted, there are a number of significant advantages associated with the present invention in comparison with the prior art. There is provided a fully mobile, stand-alone, wheeled screen, where there is little or no protrusion on one side (the ‘front’), thus allowing clear, unobstructed access, free of any trip hazard and resembling a fixed wall, with only marginal restriction at the ‘rear’: the low level weighted feet require only a small amount of clearance between the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12 and the ground surface and, due to the stabilising effect of the weight, together with the offset location thereof relative to the wall panel 12, the arms 18 can be of minimal length. This allowed controlled access at the ‘rear’ and results in the additional benefit that the space taken up by the screen (i.e. its ‘footprint’) is minimised. These benefits are attained by the use of weighted feet as the castor-bearing arms and the offset positioning of those arms relative to the side edges 12c of the wall panel 12. The thickness and material of the weighted feet can be selected according to the counter-balancing force required to stabilise the wall panel (depending on its size, thickness, weight and materials used) so as to optimise the ground clearance required versus the length of the wheelbearing arms. This unique configuration enables the required counter-balance and stability to be achieved using relatively short wheel-bearing arms, which protrude on only one side of the screen, without any part needing to protrude from the other side. Additionally, the ground clearance required can be minimised. It will be appreciated that, in the exemplary design illustrated, there is no protrusion at the ‘front’ of the screen. However, in reality, similar advantages can be achieved, perhaps to accommodate larger wall panels and/or shorten the length of the arms at the ‘rear’, by permitting a very small amount of protrusion at the ‘front’ (sufficiently small that it does not present a trip hazard and does not materially obstruct the placement of other articles against the front of the wall panel (e.g. furniture)). Thus, for example, the weighted foot could be located and arranged, relative to the lower edge 12b of the wall panel 12, such that a small portion thereof (e.g. up to 100mm or so) protrudes to the ‘front’ of the wall panel 12, with the remainder of the weighted foot protruding to the ‘rear, as before. This arrangement could be adopted during the design process, for example, to either accommodate a greater weight (to counter balance a larger/heavier wall panel) without increasing the ground clearance or length of protrusion at the ‘rear’ or, indeed, to shorten the length of protrusion at the ‘rear’ and/or reduce the ground clearance required (i.e. be making the weighted foot thinner and longer to retain the same weight).

The stabilising effect of the weighted feet occurs principally at the ‘rear’ of the wall panel by means of the low level, self-weighted protruding feet 20, which may be configured to receive further loose weights if additional stability is required (e.g. for windy or high traffic areas where there is a risk of collision impact).

Each screen may be configured to receive additional features, such as radius corner profiles and floor-mounted door access modules.

A further benefit of the screen described above is their ability to be stacked so that several screens can be stored in a relatively small space, whilst remaining available to be configured into a wall in a relatively small space of time.

The present invention is equally applicable to lightweight temporary walls and heavier duty (semi-permanent) walls, and is not necessarily intended to be limited in this regard.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, as well as (or instead of) providing two individual weighted feet to carry respective castor wheels (in the form of wheelbearing arms 18), a weighted cross beam may be provided along a portion of the length of the lower edge of the wall panel, with the offset castor wheels being affixed to the cross beam at its distal end. In this particular assembly, the principal stabilising weight will be provided by the weighted arms, and the weighted cross beam provides additional counter-balancing/stability for particular requirements or uses. However, in other exemplary embodiments, the weighted cross beam may provide the principal counter-balancing/stabilising force, and the weighted feet could even be eliminated, and the wheels simply attached to the weighted cross beam instead.

It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, from the foregoing description, that modifications and variations can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A portable screen comprising a rigid wall panel of a first weight and having opposing first and second longitudinal edges and a pair of side edges, the second longitudinal edge forming a lower edge of the wall panel which is substantially parallel to a ground surface when the screen is oriented for use, the portable screen further comprising a weight assembly extending substantially orthogonally from said lower edge of said wall panel and being substantially perpendicular to the principal plane thereof, said weight assembly having mounted thereon, at distal end, a wheel, the weight assembly comprising or including a bulk of material of a selected weight that substantially counter-balances said first weight.

2. A portable screen according to claim 1, wherein the weight assembly comprises a pair of elongate, weighted feet, each foot having a first end affixed at the lower edge of the wall panel, and a longitudinally opposing end at which a respective wheel is mounted, the combined weight of said weighted feet being such that it substantially counter-balances said first weight of the wall panel.

3. A portable screen according to claim 1, wherein the weight assembly is located adjacent the lower edge of the wall panel between first and second locations thereon, and wherein said first and second locations are offset from respective comers of the wall panel by substantially the same distance.

4. A portable screen according to claim 2, wherein the weighted feet are offset from a respective corner of the wall panel by substantially the same distance.

5. A portable screen according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said distance is less then 25% of the total length of the lower edge of the wall panel, and is selected to further counter-balance said first weight of the wall panel and stabilise the assembly.

6. A portable screen according to claim 1, wherein the weight assembly comprises a weighted cross beam that extends substantially perpendicularly from the lower edge of the wall panel along a length thereof defined between first and second locations, said first and second locations being offset from a respective corner of the wall panel by substantially the same distance.

7. A portable screen according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wheel comprises a castor wheel

8. A portable screen according to claim 7, wherein the castor wheel comprises a stopper.

9. A portable screen according to claim 2, wherein a first plate is provided at the longitudinally opposing second end of each said weighted foot, and a respective wheel assembly is affixed to each said first plate.

10. A portable screen according to claim 9, wherein at least one of said wheel assemblies comprises a stopper.

11. A portable screen assembly according to claim 10, a stop member is provided on one or each of the weighted feet, and wherein a locking assembly is slidably mounted on at least one of said weighted feet, between said stop member and the stopper of the wheel assembly, and slidably movable between a first, unlocked configuration, in which the wheel can rotate freely, and a second configuration, in which the locking assembly engages with the stopper and rotation of the wheel is prevented.

12. A portable screen according to claim 11, wherein said stop member comprises a second plate mounted on a respective weighted foot between the first end and said first plate.

13. A portable screen according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein said locking assembly includes an lock member, including an actuator, the lock member being configured to prevent sliding movement of said locking assembly, and said actuator being configured to selectively release said lock member and allow sliding movement of said locking assembly between said first and second positions.

14. A portable screen according to any of the preceding claims, configured to receive additional loose weights in or on the weight assembly, to provide additional stability if required.

15. A portable screen according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wall panel includes sound-absorbing rib.

16. A portable screen according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wall panel is configured to accept additional features, such as radius corner profiles or floor-mounted door access modules

17. A portable screen according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the weight assembly protrudes from only a first side of the wall panel, with no protrusion at all at the opposing side.

18. A portable screen according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein a small portion (e.g. up to 100mm) of said weight assembly protrudes from a first side of said wall panel and the remainder of the weight assembly protrudes from the opposing side of the wall panel.