Acoustically sealed track system for movable partitions

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ACOUSTICALY SEALING A MOVABLE PARTITION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A PLURALITY OF HINGE-CONNECTED SOUNDPROOF PANELS, AN OVERHEAD SUPPORT, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ELONGATED TRACK MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID OVERHEAD SUPPORT IN FIXED POSITION RELATIVE THERETO CARRIAGE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TRACK MEANS, SUSPENSION MEANS CONNECTING SAID CARRIAGE MEANS WITH THE ALTERNATE PANELS OF SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS WHEREBY SAID ALTERNATE PANELS DEPEND FROM SAID CARRIAGE MEANS, THE BALANCE OF SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID ALTERNATE PANELS BY MEANS OF HINGE CONNECTIONS THERETO, SAID SUSPENSION MEANS INCLUDING BIASING MEANS ARRANGED WITHIN SAID ALTERNATE PANELS TO URGE SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS UPWARDLY, SAID CARRIAGE MEANS TOGETHER WITH SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS BEING MOVABLE ALONG SAID TRACK, A STRIP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL ATTACHED TO THE LENGTH OF THE UNDER-EDGE OF EACH PANEL OF SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS, UPPER-EDGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OVERHEAD SUPPORT AND SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSING SAID TRACK MEANS THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF BEING MOVABLE VERTICALLY RELATIVE THERETO AND MEANS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID UPPER SEALING MEANS AND SAID OVERHEAD SUPPORT FOR AUTOMATICALLY APPLYING POSITIVE DOWNWARD-ACTING FORCE TO SAID UPPER SEALING MEANS ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF FOR URGING SAID UPPER SEALING MEANS INTO SEALING ENGAGEMTENT WITH THE TOPS OF SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS AND MOVING SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS DOWNWARD TO FORCE SAID STRIPS OF MATERIAL INTO SEALONG ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE BELOW SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS WHEREBY SOUND IS PREVENTED FROM FLANKING SAID PLURALITY OF PANELS BOTH AT THE BOTOM AND AT THE TOP THEREOF.