US20050257438A1 - Movable wall system - Google Patents

Abstract

A movable wall comprising: a panel; a first bracket connected to a first side of the panel; a second bracket connected to a second side of the panel; a first screw, the first screw being located on the first side of the panel and engaging the first bracket, whereby rotation of the first screw causes the first bracket to raise or lower; a second screw, the second screw being located on the second side of said panel and engaging the second bracket, whereby rotation of the second screw causes the second bracket to raise or lower; a motor; a shaft, the shaft being rotatable by the motor; a first gearbox being connected to the shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of the shaft, the first gearbox further being connected to the first screw; and a second gearbox being connected to the shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of the shaft, the second gearbox further being connected to the second screw, wherein rotation of the shaft rotates the first screw and the second screw at an equal rate of rotation, thereby raising or lowering the panel.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to movable walls, and in particular the present invention relates to a wall that raises and lowers vertically.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
• In certain situations, it is desirable to extend the outdoor environment into a building. This is generally accomplished by opening a window or opening a patio door. However, in many situations the limited opening provided by a window or a patio door is insufficient for an individual's or business' needs, and a more substantial opening is desired.
• In the case of a restaurant, patios are popular in the summer. The patio environment is generally extended into the restaurant through the use of sliding or folding doors. These doors however have a number of disadvantages.
• Sliding doors typically slide so that one portion of the door is in front of a second portion. This leaves a large panel that obscures the outer environment. Because waiters need access to the patio, patrons are placed in front of these panels and the experience of the outdoor environment is diminished.
• Alternatively, sliding doors fit within a pocket in a wall. The pocket may need to project into a space to accommodate the sliding door, and may further leave a gap for the folding door at the entrance to the pocket when the pocket is not being used.
• With folding doors, the doors generally fold into large panels that rotate into the building and onto the patio. The panels are typically large because when closed it is desirable to have large windows in the building. The extension of these folded panels into the building and onto the patio provides an unsightly obstruction.
• Vertical openings have in the past been created for uses such as garage doors. However, the use of a garage door mechanism is undesirable for walls. Garage doors employ either hinged panels to allow the door to slide around a track, or a single door that is pivoted up and slid horizontally along a track. Neither is useful for a wall. Hinged panels are not aesthetically pleasing in a wall. The use of a pivoting and sliding mechanism is impractical due to the weight of a wall.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a wall that can be raised or lowered vertically. The wall is not pivoted and does not contain hinged panels. Due to the vertical lifting, the obstructions of horizontal sliding walls are eliminated.
• The present invention employs two screws, one on each side of the movable wall. These screws are rotated through a single motor to ensure the rotation at each side of the wall is uniform and that the wall is thereby raised evenly.
• The movable includes brackets on either side of it, the brackets having a threaded portion adapted to engage the screws. The wall thereby moves up and down through the rotation of the screws.
• A limiting mechanism, such as a contact switch or a timer, is used to stop the motor when the wall has reached the most vertical point or when the wall has been completely closed.
• The present invention therefore provides a movable wall comprising: a panel; a first bracket connected to a first side of said panel; a second bracket connected to a second side of said panel; a first screw, said first screw being located on said first side of said panel and engaging said first bracket, whereby rotation of said first screw causes said first bracket to raise or lower; a second screw, said second screw being located on said second side of said panel and engaging said second bracket, whereby rotation of said second screw causes said second bracket to raise or lower; a motor; a shaft, said shaft being rotatable by said motor; a first gearbox being connected to said shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of said shaft, said first gearbox further being connected to said first screw; and a second gearbox being connected to said shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of said shaft, said second gearbox further being connected to said second screw, wherein rotation of said shaft rotates said first screw and said second screw at an equal rate of rotation, thereby raising or lowering said panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The present invention will be better understood with reference to the following drawings, in which:
• FIG. 1 is a front elevational, partial cross-sectional view of the movable wall of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a plan, cross sectional view of the movable wall ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a side elevational, cross sectional view of the movable wall ofFIG. 1, where the cross section is within the movable wall;
• FIG. 4 is a side elevational, cross-sectional view of the movable wall ofFIG. 1, where the cross section is along a screw of the movable wall;
• FIG. 5 is a magnified view of the bottom of the movable wall ofFIG. 3;
• FIG. 6 is a magnified-view of the wall mount ofFIG. 2;
• FIG. 7 is a side elevational, cross sectional view of a cross beam of the movable wall of the present invention; and
• FIG. 8 is a side elevational, cross sectional view of the gearbox and screw of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Reference is now made to the drawings.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of themovable wall10 of the present invention.Movable wall10 consists of amovable panel12, which in the preferred embodiment includesglass panels14 and aframe16.
• Movable panel12, in the preferred embodiment, moves from a bottom or closed position, as illustrated inFIG. 1, to a raised position. In a raised position,panel12 rests against anupper support18 and within apocket20.
• Abracket22 is affixed on either side and near the bottom ofpanel12. Bracket22 comprises a liftingtop plate24, twoside plates26, and aball screw28.Side plates26 are affixed toframe16 ofmovable panel12.Top plate24 is affixed to the top ofside plates26 and is further preferably attached toframe16. As one skilled in the art will realize,frame16,top plate24 andside plates26 are preferably made of steel, and are welded together. Other materials are however possible.
• As best seen inFIG. 6,top plate24 includes ahole30 created withintop plate24. Ascrew32 fits withinhole30.Ball screw28 is affixed belowtop plate24 and fits aboutscrew32. An inner thread withinball screw28 is adapted to engagescrew32, whereby rotation ofscrew32 causesball screw28 to move up or down, depending on the direction of rotation ofscrew32. Movingball screw28 further causestop plate24 and theentire bracket22 to move up or down, thereby movingpanel12.
• As best seen inFIG. 7,screw32 is rotatably connected to the building at its upper end using a top bearing34, which is held to a column using aspacer plate36.Screw32 is thereby restricted from moving laterally, but is allowed to rotate.
• Reference is now made toFIG. 8. At its lower end,screw32 is placed within a hole in asteel plate38.Screw32 is further placed through a thrust bearing40. The combination ofsteel plate38 and thrustbearing40 ensures thatscrew32 cannot move laterally but is allowed to rotate.
• As will be realized by those skilled in the art, screws32 must rotate at the same time and at the same rate of rotation in order to raise orlower panel12. If one screw rotates at a different rate from the other screw, one side ofpanel12 will raise or lower at a different rate than the other side ofpanel12, causingbracket22 to seize onscrew32 and potentially causing damage to the system.
• Numerous methods exist to ensure thatscrews32 rotate at the same rate. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention this is accomplished by using only onemotor46 for bothscrews32.Motor46 rotates ashaft48 that extends to both sides ofpanel12.
• Gearboxes50 transfer the rotational energy ofshaft48 by 90 degrees, thereby turningscrew32. 90-degree gearboxes are known to those skilled in the art.
• Shaft48 further requires cross rod supports52 to ensure that a large span ofshaft48 does not remain unsupported. The number of cross rod supports52 required will be determined by the width ofpanel12.
• A further feature of one embodiment of the present invention is asupport beam60 used to support the portion of the structure above the opening forpanel12.Support beam60 ensures the structural integrity of the wall above the opening forpanel12.
• In order to provide weather sealing, an embodiment of the present invention further includes apocket62 into whichpanel12 fits when in a closed position.Pocket62 ensures thatpanel12 does not move in the wind, and further creates a barrier to seal water out from the structure. The top ofpanel12 is provided with aweather strip64 and an insulatingfelt strip66 to provide both insulation and weatherproofing.
• In operation, the movable wall is moved from a closed position to an open position through the activation of a switch. The switch turns onmotor46, which is used to rotateshaft48.Shaft48 then usesgearboxes50 to change the direction of rotation by 90 degrees and to rotate bothscrews32. The rotation ofscrews32 further causes ball screws28 to raise alongscrews32, thereby raisingbrackets22 andpanel12.
• The present invention further includes a limiter for limiting the lifting ofpanel12. In a preferred embodiment the limiter includes a contact switch located withinpocket20 to indicate that the panel has been raised to its maximum position. Other limiters could include timers to time the duration of lifting or closing, or a torsion monitor onmotor46 to indicate whenmotor46 is unable to raise the wall further. These limiters stopmotor46.
• Similar limiting mechanisms can be used to limit the closing of the door, which is accomplished by turningmotor46 in the opposite direction, thereby rotatingscrews32 in the opposite direction.
• The above is meant to be illustrative of the present invention and is not meant to limit the invention. One skilled in the art will realize that variations are possible. The present invention is only limited by the following claims.

Claims (6)

1. A movable wall comprising:

a panel;

a first bracket connected to a first side of said panel;

a second bracket connected to a second side of said panel;

a first screw, said first screw being located on said first side of said panel and engaging said first bracket, whereby rotation of said first screw causes said first bracket to raise or lower;

a second screw, said second screw being located on said second side of said panel and engaging said second bracket, whereby rotation of said second screw causes said second bracket to raise or lower;

a motor;

a shaft, said shaft being rotatable by said motor;

a first gearbox being connected to said shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of said shaft, said first gearbox further being connected to said first screw; and

a second gearbox being connected to said shaft and adapted to change the direction of rotation of said shaft, said second gearbox further being connected to said second screw,

wherein rotation of said shaft rotates said first screw and said second screw at an equal rate of rotation, thereby raising or lowering said panel.

2. The movable wall ofclaim 1 further comprising a limiting mechanism to stop said motor from rotating said shaft.

3. The movable wall ofclaim 2, wherein said limiting mechanism is a contact switch.

4. The movable wall ofclaim 2, wherein said limiting mechanism is a timer.

5. The movable wall ofclaim 1, wherein said first bracket includes:

a top plate;

two side plates, said side plates supporting said top plate; and

a ball screw, said ball screw engaging said first screw.

6. The movable wall ofclaim 5, wherein said second bracket includes:

a top plate;

two side plates, said side plates supporting said top plate; and

a ball screw, said ball screw engaging said second screw.

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