Arrangement for hard wiring movable room divider panels

• US 4,308,418 A
• Filed: 11/06/1979
• Issued: 12/29/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Speet, Larry A., Van Kuik, Dirk J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, Arthur T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tone, D. A.
• Application Number:
  US06/091,789
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 174/48, 174/49, 174/69, 174/92, 174/101, 174/86, 174/68 C, 174/72 C, 174/70 C, 174/66, 174/95, 160/127, 160/135, 160/351, 52/173, 52/220, 52/221, 52/239, 339/22 R, 339/23, 138/128, 138/157-163, 220/241
• US Class Current: 174/495
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/288 in modular walls, e.g. wall panels

Abstract

The specification discloses an arrangement for hard wiring movable room divider panels, comprising enclosed raceways adapted to mount electrical appliances therein, and being connected with and extending generally between the legs of the panels. A panel-to-panel wiring connector extends between and is attached to the ends of adjacent raceways, and includes a protective outer shell with a longitudinally extending interior cavity therethrough in which electrical wires are received. The wiring connector has a split body for longitudinally opening the outer shell, laying the wires in the interior cavity, and closing the outer shell about the wires, and includes opposed open ends which communicate with the adjacent raceways, whereby the raceways and channels form an uninterrupted shield for the wires, so as to economically hard wire the panels by hand without requiring a conventional conduit type of installation.

Claims

1. In a panel system for partitioning a room, including at least two movable room divider panels, the improvement comprising:

a pair of wiring raceways connected with said room divider panels, and having ends thereof disposed in an adjacent, end-to-end relationship when said panels are assembled; and

a panel-to-panel wiring connector extending between adjacent ends of said raceways, and comprising an elongate body with a protective outer shell and a longitudinally extending interior cavity therethrough shaped for receiving electrical wires therein;

said protective outer shell being made of a substantially inelastic material;

said connector body having a split construction which permits opening the protective outer shell, laying the wires into the interior cavity of said connector body, and closing the outer shell about the wires, and including opposed open ends received in and communicating with said wiring raceways, thereby forming a secure enclosure for shielding the wires for hard wiring said panel system;

said connector being deformable for manually bending the same into an angular relationship commensurate with the angular relationship between adjacent room divider panels.

2. A panel system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a slight gap is formed between said raceway ends; and

said panel-to-panel wiring connector spans said gap between the ends of said raceways.

3. A panel system as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

said connector body comprises first and second U-shaped members which telescopically interconnect to form therebetween said cavity.

4. A panel system as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said connector body members each include a center web, and a pair of opposing flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

each pair of opposing flanges including a pair of apertures therethrough, which are aligned to direct the bending of each said web along a predetermined line.

5. A panel system as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said first and second U-shaped connector body members are connected on an interior side of said panel system, and each includes a central web with a pair of flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

said first U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of V-shaped notches spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof;

each notch pair being aligned to direct web bending along a pair of predetermined lines;

said second U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of apertures spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof, and forming a pair of tabs therebetween;

said first U-shaped body member web includes an aperture disposed at each side edge thereof disposed between each pair of V-shaped notches, and shaped to receive said tabs therein to align said first and second connector body members.

6. A panel system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said connector body comprises first and second U-shaped members which telescopically interconnect to form said body, and define said cavity between said U-shaped members.

7. A panel system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

said connector body members each include a center web, and a pair of opposing flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

each pair of opposing flanges including a pair of apertures therethrough, which are aligned to direct the bending of said web along a predetermined line.

8. A panel system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

said first and second U-shaped connector body members are connected on an interior side of said panel system, and each includes a central web with a pair of flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

said first U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of V-shaped notches spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof;

each notch pair being aligned to direct web bending along a pair of predetermined lines;

said second U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of apertures spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof, and forming a pair of tabs therebetween;

said first U-shaped body member web includes an aperture disposed at each side edge thereof disposed between each pair of V-shaped notches, and shaped to receive said tabs therein to align said first and second connector body members.

9. A panel system as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

said second U-shaped body member is disposed between the flanges of said first U-shaped body member; and

said V-shaped notches in the flanges of said first U-shaped body member are spaced apart a distance sufficient to form a trapezoidal ear which overlies and covers the apertures in the flanges of said second U-shaped body member, whereby said connector outer shell is substantially imperforate and remains so when bent into a wide variety of different angular configurations.

10. A panel system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said wiring raceways extend along a lower edge of said room divider panels and are connected with a pair of spaced apart panel legs depending therefrom.

11. A panel system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said wiring raceways are shaped to isolate the electrical wires, and include removable end caps which are severed from said raceway to provide an aperture adapted to telescopingly receive one end of said connector therein, whereby said wireways and said connector form a continuous shield for the wires.

12. A panel system as set forth in claim 11, wherein:

said room divider panels include hollow, vertically disposed support columns; and

said wiring raceways communicate with associated support columns to facilitate vertical wiring.

13. A panel system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

said raceways each include a removable closure having means for mounting electrical outlets therein.

14. A panel system as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

said removable closure includes an aperture therethrough shaped to mount an electrical outlet therein; and

including

a cover plate adapted to selectively close said closure aperture and having a knock-out plug to facilitate mounting a building power distribution source.

15. An arrangement for electrically interconnecting at least two movable room divider panels, comprising:

at least two wireways adapted for connection with a different one of said panels along a free edge thereof;

said wireways including means for enclosing electrical wiring in the wireway; and

a panel-to-panel wiring connector extending between and connected with said wireways, and including an elongate body with a protective outer shell and a longitudinally extending interior cavity therethrough shaped for receiving the wiring therein;

said protective outer shell being made of a substantially inelastic material;

said connector body having a split construction which permits opening the protective outer shell, laying the wiring in said interior cavity, and closing the outer shell about the wiring, and including open ends communicating with said wireways, whereby said wiring connector is adapted to form a shield about the wiring for hard wiring the room divider panels;

said connector being deformable for manually bending the same into an angular relationship commensurate with the angular relationship between said wireways.

16. A panel-to-panel wiring connector for electrically interconnecting two movable room divider panels of the type having isolated electrical wiring raceways disposed adjacently in an end-to-end relationship when the panels are assembled, said connector comprising:

an elongate body adapted for extending between the room divider panels, and having a protective outer shell, and a longitudinally extending interior cavity therethrough shaped for receiving electrical wires therein;

said connector body having a split construction which permits said protective outer shell being made of a substantially inelastic material;

opening said protective outer shell, laying the wires in said interior cavity, and closing said protective outer shell about the wires;

said connector body further having opposing legs for connection with an associated one of the room divider panels, and including open ends for communicating with the wiring raceways of said adjacent panels thereby forming a secure enclosure for shielding the wires for hard wiring the same;

said connector body being deformable for manually bending the same into an angular relationship commensurate with the angular relationship between adjacent room divider panels.

17. A connector as set forth in claim 16, wherein:

said connector body comprises first and second U-shaped members which telescopically interconnect to form said body and define said cavity between said U-shaped members.

18. A connector as set forth in claim 17, wherein:

said connector body members each include a center web, and a pair of opposing flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

each pair of opposing flanges including a pair of apertures therethrough, which are aligned to direct the bending of each said web along a predetermined line.

19. A connector as set forth in claim 17, wherein:

said first and second U-shaped connector body members each includes a central web with a pair of flanges disposed in the plane of bending;

said first U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of V-shaped notches spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof;

each notch pair being aligned to direct web bending along a pair of predetermined lines;

said second U-shaped body member flanges include two pairs of apertures spaced apart along the length of the connector body at a medial portion thereof, and forming a pair of tabs therebetween;

said first U-shaped body member web includes an aperture disposed at each side edge thereof disposed between each pair of V-shaped notches, and shaped to receive said tabs therein to align said first and second connector body members.

20. A connector as set forth in claim 19, wherein:

said second U-shaped body member is disposed between the flanges of said first U-shaped body member; and

said V-shaped notches in the flanges of said first U-shaped body member are spaced apart a distance sufficient to form a trapezoidal ear which overlies and covers the apertures in the flanges of said second U-shaped body member, whereby said connector outer shell is substantially imperforate and remains so when bent into a wide variety of different angular configurations.