Building assembly and components

Claim 2

In a building assembly including a base, a plurality of erect panels arranged in edge-to-edge relation to one another and supported on said base to form a partition, means for preventing movement of the upper ends of said panels transversely of said partition and permitting vertical movement of said panels, means along the lower end of each of said panels engaging said base for restraining said lower ends against movement transversely of said partition, and resilient joint closure means providing sealed abutment joints between adjacent edges of said panels, said joint closure means having outer surfaces of complementary land and groove configurations, said configuration at each adjacent edge being characterized by a resiliently deformable land, a shoulder, and a groove between said land and said shoulder, the land and shoulder projecting outwardly beyond the groove surface and being positioned within the exterior planar surfaces of said panels defining the lateral limits of said adjacent edges, said complementary configurations in their abutted relationship positioning said land of one closure means within said groove of the adjacent closure means, thus permitting relative vertical movement between adjacent panels for disengaging the lower end of one of said panels from said base, each said land being sufficiently deformable as to permit, by pressure delivered by said shoulder of the adjacent edge, removal of such panel transversely of said partition and replacement of such a panel in such sealed joint relation with the panels adjacent each edge thereof without moving said adjacent panels, whereby said joint closure means have bidirectional shear resistance sufficient to resist relative transverse movement between adjacent panels, except deliberate movement caused by the removal of one of said adjacent panels.

Claim 3

In a building assembly as in claim 1, said joint closure means including a resilient element extending along and secured to each such edge of each of said panels, said resilient elements at each such joint abutting one another, with the land configuration of the element on one edge complementally and intimately abutting the groove configuration of the element on the adjacent edge.

Claim 4

In a building assembly as in claim 2, said resilient elements at each of said joints extending approximately the full thickness of the panel, thereby overlapping one another.

Claim 5

In a building assembly as in claim 2, said abutting resilient elements at each of said joints being of mating over-lapping cross-sectional profiles.

Claim 6

In a building assembly as in claim 2, each of said complementary surfaces including a portion of sinuous configuration in cross section.

Claim 7

In a building assembly as in claim 2, the portion of each of said outward surfaces abutting another of said resilient elements being of a configuration such that no portion thereof extends at more than a shallow angle to a vertical plane normal to the respective panel.

Claim 8

In a building assembly as in claim 2, the portion of each of said outward surfaces abutting another of said resilient elements being of a configuration such that no portion thereof extends at an angle greater than about 45* to a vertical plane normal to the respective panel.

Claim 9

In a building assembly as in claim 2, said resilient elements at each of said joints interfitting one another in complementary engagement to resist relative movement between such adjacent panels in either direction transversely of said partition.

Claim 10

In a building assembly as in claim 1, said means preventIng movement of the upper ends of said panels comprising channel members receiving said upper ends therein.

Claim 11

In a building assembly as in claim 9 including a ceiling, said channel members being secured to said ceiling.

Claim 12

In a building assembly as in claim 9, resilient means secured along each inner side of said channel members for abutting said panels received therein.

Claim 13

In a building assembly as in claim 1, said base including a support floor and a fabric covering thereover, said engaging means including a plurality of downwardly extending projections engaging said covering.

Claim 14

In a building assembly as in claim 12, said fabric covering comprising carpeting, and said engaging means comprising gripper means secured to the lower ends of said panels and supporting said panels on said carpeting.

Claim 15

In a building assembly as in claim 12, said base including resilient pad means beneath said fabric covering.

Claim 16

In a building assembly as in claim 1, a corner post, a plurality of panels abutting said post, and clip means engaging the lower end of said post and the adjacent lower portions of said abutting panels.

Claim 17

In a building assembly including a floor with carpeting thereover and a ceiling, a plurality of erect panel units each resting on said carpeting and arranged in edge-to-edge abutting relation to one another to form a partition, means along said ceiling for engaging the upper ends of said panel units, said means preventing movement of said upper ends transversely of said partition and permitting vertical movement of said panel units, each of said panel units including projection means along its lower edge engaging said carpeting for restraining the lower ends of said units against movement transversely of said partition, and each of said panel units including abutting resilient joint closure means extending along each vertical edge thereof for providing sealed abutment joints between adjacent units, said joint closure means being characterized by a resiliently deformable land, a shoulder, and a groove between said land and said shoulder, the land and shoulder projecting outwardly beyond the groove surface and being positioned within the exterior planar surfaces of said panels defining the lateral limits of said adjacent edges, said closure means of adjacent edges being positioned, when assembled, with the land of one closure means within said groove of the adjacent closure means, permitting relative vertical movement between adjacent units, each said land being sufficiently deformable as to permit, by pressure delivered by said shoulder of the adjacent edge, removal of one of said panel units transversely of said partition and replacement of such a unit in such sealed joint relation with the panel units adjacent each edge of such removed unit, without moving said units, whereby said joint closure means have bidirectional shear resistance sufficient to resist relative transverse movement between adjacent panels, except deliberate movement caused by the removal of one of said adjacent panels.

Claim 18

In a building assembly including a floor with carpeting thereover and a ceiling, a plurality of erect panel units each resting on said carpeting and arranged in edge-to-edge abutting relation to one another to form a partition, means along said ceiling for engaging the upper ends of said panel units, said means preventing movement of said upper ends transversely of said partition and permitting vertical movement of said panel units, each of said panel units including projection means along its lower edge engaging said carpeting for restraining the lower ends of said units against movement transversely of said partition, and each of said panel units including abutting resilient joint closure means extending along each vertical edge thereof for providing sealed abutment joints between adjacent units, said joint closure means being characterized by a resiliently deformable land, a shoulder, and a groove between said land and said shoulder, the land and shoulder projecting outwardly beyond the groove surface and being positioned within the exterior planar surfaces of said panels defining the lateral limits of said adjacent edges, said closure means of adjacent edges being positioned, when assembled, with the land of one closure means within said groove of the adjacent closure means, permitting relative vertical movement between adjacent units, each said land being sufficiently deformable as to permit, by pressure delivered by said shoulder of the adjacent edge, removal of one of said panel units transversely of said partition and replacement of such a unit in such sealed joint relation with the panel units adjacent each edge of such removed unit, without moving said units, whereby said joint closure means have bidirectional shear resistance sufficient to resist relative transverse movement between adjacent panels, except deliberate movement caused by the removal of one of said adjacent panels.

Claim 19

In a building assembly as in claim 2, the groove configuration of said one edge element complementally and intimately abutting the land configuration of said adjacent edge element.

Claim 20

In a building assembly as in claim 4, said abutting resilient elements being reversed images of each other.