Abstract An interior modular wall for finished or existing rooms in which each module has a panel with an integral floor rail carrying a shorter floor gripper plate which projects from the floor rail and is longitudinally slidably interlocked therewith. The module is installed quickly and simply by manually lifting the module into the vertical plane of a prepositioned longitudinally extending ceiling rail, longitudinally spacing the vertically extending side edge of the module from the corresponding edge of the adjacent module or abutment, lowering the module while in that vertical plane onto the floor so that the gripper plate engages and grips the floor covering, and moving the panel and floor rail unit longitudinally relative to the ceiling rail, floor, and gripper plate into engagement with the adjacent preinstalled module. Both side edges of the panel are free to be gripped by the installer during the lifting and lowering operations, thereby greatly simplifying and reducing the time for erecting the wall.
The method of installing a modular wall comprising a plurality of modules, each having a panel and a rail secured to the lower edge of the panel and a gripper plate slidably interlocked with said rail, consisting of the steps of lifting said module into the vertical plane of the intended wall and in an intermediate position longitudinally spaced from a final module position, lowering the module upon the floor with the gripper plate frictionally engaging the floor covering, longitudinally moving the panel and rail portions of said module from said intermediate position into said final position while said gripper plate remains stationary relative to said floor covering, and repeating said steps for others of said modules.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
117 words
The method of installing a modular wall comprising a plurality of modules, each having a panel and a rail secured to the lower edge of the panel and a gripper plate slidably interlocked with said rail, consisting of the steps of lifting said module into the vertical plane of the intended wall and in an intermediate position longitudinally spaced from a final module position, lowering the module upon the floor with the gripper plate frictionally engaging the floor covering, longitudinally moving the panel and rail portions of said module from said intermediate position into said final position while said gripper plate remains stationary relative to said floor covering, and repeating said steps for others of said modules.