JP7597648B2 - Support - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a support device that clamps and supports a panel.

A folding screen support device is known that supports a panel used in a folding screen by clamping it from both sides. In the following Patent Document 1, the folding screen support device is composed of a trapezoidal bottom plate, a rectangular back plate, and right-angled triangular side plates. When the back plates of two folding screen supports are placed back to back, a space is created in which a panel can be inserted. Therefore, by combining a folding screen support device with a panel, it is possible to divide a space or block off part of the space.

Patent Application No. 2020-176239

However, the above-mentioned screen support has a problem in that the panel is fixed in place by contacting the bottom of the screen support, and unless an opening is made in the panel itself, it is not possible to pass objects through the opening or pass electrical wiring through the opening, limiting its uses.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a support that can be used as a multi-purpose partition.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a panel support device that is configured by placing the back panels back to back together, the support device having a pair of fixing members each having a bottom panel, a back panel that is erected by folding the edge of the bottom panel at a first fold line, a connection portion that is connected via a second fold line at one side edge of the back panel at a position a predetermined distance away from the top end of the back panel, and a locking portion that is provided on the lower end side of the connection portion and extends to the bottom panel, and the back panels are folded back to back together, and when the connection portion of one fixing member is folded back toward the other fixing member at the second fold line, the locking portion of one fixing member is locked to the bottom panel of the other fixing member.

The support of the present invention is constructed by placing the back plates of a pair of fixing members back to back. When the connection portion of one fixing member is folded toward the other fixing member along the second fold line, the locking portions of the connection portions are locked to the bottom plate of the other fixing member, and the pair of fixing members are joined together.

When this support is inserted between the backboards, sandwiching the panel from its upper end, the lower edge of the panel abuts against the upper edge of the connection of each of the fixing members, since the connection portion is bent toward the other fixing member. As a result, the panel is sandwiched while inserted to a position a certain distance away from the upper end of the backboard, and functions as a partition. Therefore, with the support of the present invention, the supported panel does not drop below the upper edge of the connection portion, and can be used for various purposes, such as passing electrical wiring below the panel.

In the support of the present invention, it is preferable that the other side edge of the back plate has an upper end that protrudes laterally to a position that is the specified distance away from the upper end of the back plate and has a pressing portion that presses downward the upper end edge of the connection portion that is folded along the second fold line.

A pressing portion is provided on the other side edge of the back plate of the fixing member. Therefore, when the connection portion of one fixing member is bent toward the other fixing member, the upper edge of the connection portion is pressed downward by the pressing portion, preventing the bending from returning. This allows both fixing members to be securely fixed.

In addition, in the support of the present invention, each of the pair of fixing members has a protruding portion that protrudes from the back plate in a direction away from the bottom plate when the back plate is folded and erected by forming a convex notch toward the back plate at the boundary between the bottom plate and the back plate by dividing the first fold line, and it is preferable that the protruding edges of the protruding portions abut against each other when the pair of fixing members are joined.

Each fixing member has a protruding portion that protrudes from the back panel in a direction away from the bottom panel when the back panel is folded along the first fold line. When a pair of fixing members are joined, the protruding edges of these protruding portions come into contact with each other, creating a gap between the back panels at the bottom of the back panels, while the force of the folding back creates almost no gap between the back panels on the upper side of the back panels. Therefore, with this configuration, the support has an elongated isosceles triangle shape when viewed from the side, so that the tips of both back panels can securely clamp and fix a panel, etc.

In addition, in the support of the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom plate of the fixing member has a slit into which the locking portion fits, and the locking portion has a convex portion that fits into the slit.

With this configuration, when a pair of fixing members are joined, the locking portion (convex portion) of the connection part of one fixing member fits into the slit in the bottom plate of the other fixing member. This allows both fixing members to be fixed more reliably.

Overall view of the screen using the supports. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fixing member before assembly of the support. Assembly process of the support (separated state). Assembly process of the support (joined state). Support assembly process (finished product). 6 is a cross-sectional view of the support device of FIG. 5 along line VI-VI. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the support of FIG. 5 . Overall view of a partition using a support (modified form).

Below, we will explain the support device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a partition 1 that uses two supports 20 to support a cardboard panel 30. As will be described in detail later, one support 20 is made by joining two fixing members 10 together. The partition 1 is completed by supporting the panel 30 by sandwiching it in the gap between the back panels of the fixing members 10.

The panel 30 may be made of a transparent material such as vinyl sheet or acrylic in the center so that the other side can be seen, or it may be made of an opaque material in the center to serve as a space divider. In addition, in the screen 1, the area below the bottom edge of the panel 30 is an empty space where documents can be passed or electrical wiring can be passed.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the fixing member 10 before the support 20 is assembled. The fixing member 10 is made of paper such as cardboard, and is composed of a bottom plate 11, a back plate 12, and a connection part 13.

The bottom plate 11 has protrusions 11a, 11b, and 11c, and recesses 11d, 11e, and 11f. The protrusion 11a is used to fit into the recess 11e of the fixing member 10 of the adjacent support 20 (see FIG. 8) for fixing. The protrusion 11b is used to fit into the recess 11f of the fixing member 10 (see FIG. 3) that is paired with the protrusion 11b to form a single support 20 for fixing.

The boundary between the bottom plate 11 and the back plate 12 is the first fold line L1. The convex portion 11c (the "protruding portion" of the present invention) is formed by dividing the first fold line L1 and making a convex cut toward the back plate 12. When the back plate 12 is folded at the first fold line L1 and erected, the convex portion 11c protrudes from the back plate 12 in a direction away from the bottom plate 11. Therefore, the convex portion 11c and the protruding edge of the mating fixing member 10 abut against each other, creating a gap between the back plates 12 at the bottom of the support 20.

The recess 11d (the "slit" of the present invention) is used to engage and fix the connecting portion 13 (locking portion 13a) of the mating fixing member 10.

The back panel 12 is a plate portion formed by folding the edge of the bottom panel 11 at a first fold line L1 and erecting it. The side edge 12a of the back panel 12 ("one side edge" in the present invention) has a connection portion 13 connected via a second fold line L2 at a position a predetermined distance away from the upper end of the back panel 12. The connection portion 13 is folded toward the mating fixing member 10 at the second fold line L2 when in use.

The side edge 12b of the back plate 12 (the "other side edge" of the present invention) has a shape in which its upper end side protrudes laterally to a position a predetermined distance away from the upper end of the back plate 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the side edge 12b of the back plate 12 has a pressing portion 12b'. The pressing portion 12b' presses downward the upper end edge of the connection portion 13 folded at the second fold line L2 of the mating fixing member 10. Therefore, it plays a role in preventing the connection portion 13 from returning to its original state after folding. The back plate 12 (side edges 12a, 12b) is not limited to the shape shown in the figure, and the pressing portion 12b' may also have a width (height) that is capable of pressing the upper end edge of the connection portion 13.

The connecting portion 13 also has a locking portion 13a at the tip side of the lower end. When folded, the locking portion 13a extends to the bottom plate 11 of the mating fixing member 10. In detail, the locking portion 13a has a convex portion, and is fixed by fitting the locking portion 13a into the recess 11d of the bottom plate 11. The position of the locking portion 13a (convex portion) is not limited to the tip side of the lower end of the connecting portion 13, and may be, for example, the center of the lower end.

Next, the assembly process of the support 20 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Below, the pair of fixing members 10 constituting the support 20 will be referred to as fixing member 10A and fixing member 10B, respectively.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, in the left fixing member 10A, the back panel 12 is folded at the first fold line L1 of the bottom panel 11 to set it upright. Similarly, in the right fixing member 10B, the back panel 12 is folded at the first fold line L1 of the bottom panel 11 to set it upright, and the back panels 12 are arranged back to back.

As can be seen from fixing member 10B, when back panel 12 is folded at first fold line L1 and erected, protrusion 11c protrudes in a direction away from back panel 12. Therefore, when fixing member 10A and fixing member 10B are joined, the protruding edges of protrusion 11c abut against each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the recess 11f of the fixing member 10A is fitted into the protrusion 11b of the fixing member 10B, and the protrusion 11b of the fixing member 10A is fitted into the recess 11f of the fixing member 10B, thereby joining the fixing member 10A and the fixing member 10B. Note that at this point, the connection portion 13 has not yet been bent.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the connection portion 13 (locking portion 13a) of the fixing member 10B is fitted into the recess 11d of the fixing member 10A. At this time, the upper edge of the connection portion 13 is pressed by the pressing portion 12b' of the fixing member 10A, preventing the bending from returning, and making it difficult for the lock to come off.

Similarly, the connection portion 13 (locking portion 13a) of the fixing member 10A is fitted into the recess 11d of the fixing member 10B. The upper edge of the connection portion 13 is pressed against the pressing portion 12b' of the fixing member 10B. This completes the support 20 in which the fixing members 10A and 10B are securely fixed together.

The support 20 can sandwich the panel 30 in the gap between the back plates 12 of the fixing members 10A and 10B. At this time, the lower edge of the panel 30 abuts against the upper edge of the connection portion 13 of the fixing members 10A and 10B. In other words, the supported panel 30 does not drop below the upper edge of the connection portion 13, so the side of the connection portion 13 (the side without the back plate 12) becomes an empty space, allowing electrical wiring, etc. to pass through (see Figure 1).

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the support 20 in Figure 5 taken along the line VI-VI when cut approximately at the center of the back plate 12. Note that the connection portion 13 of the fixing member 10B is shown by a dashed line because it cannot be seen in this cross section.

As shown in the figure, in the support 20, the protruding ends 11c of the fixing members 10A and 10B abut against each other. Therefore, a gap is created between the back plates 12 below the back plates 12 (on the bottom plate 11 side).

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the support 20 in Figure 5. The protruding portion 11c protrudes in a direction away from the bottom plate 11 when the back plate 12 is folded at the first fold line L1. When the fixing member 10A and the fixing member 10B are joined, the protruding edges of the protruding portion 11c come into contact with each other.

The recess 11f of the fixing member 10A fits into the protrusion 11b of the fixing member 10B, and the protrusion 11b of the fixing member 10A fits into the recess 11f of the fixing member 10B. Both sides of the protrusion 11c are open, but apart from these openings, there is no gap between the fixing members 10A and 10B at the bottom of the support 20, and their edges abut against each other.

Returning to FIG. 6, there is almost no gap between the upper sides of the back panels 12 due to the force of the back panels 12 returning to their original shape when folded. The support 20 has an elongated isosceles triangle shape when viewed from the side, so that the tips of both back panels 12 can securely clamp and fix a panel or the like.

By combining supports 20 sandwiching panels 30, it is possible to create screens of various shapes. Figure 8 shows a screen 2 that combines panels 30A and 30B.

Panel 30A is supported by at least one support 20A, and panel 30B is supported by at least one support 20B. The positions of panels 30A and 30B are fixed by fitting the convex portion 11a of support 20A (fixing member 10) into the concave portion 11e of support 20B (fixing member 10).

At this time, the space between the combined supports 20A and 20B is left empty, making it possible to pass electrical wiring through, which is highly convenient.

By preparing multiple sets of the support 20 and the panel 30, various shapes of screens and spaces can be created by combining the convex portion 11a and the concave portion 11e of the fixing member 10. Also, by changing the size of the support 20 and the panel 30, it is possible to use them as a desk partition or a room divider.

1, 2... partition, 10, 10A, 10B... fixing member, 11... bottom plate, 11a-11c... convex parts, 11d-11f... concave parts, 12... back plate, 12a, 12b... side edges, 12b'... pressing part, 13... connection part, 13a... locking part, 20, 20A, 20B... support, 30, 30A, 30B... panel.

Claims (4)

A panel support device is provided with a pair of fixing members each having a bottom plate, a back plate that is bent along a first fold line at an edge of the bottom plate and erected, a connection portion that is connected to one side edge of the back plate via a second fold line at a position a predetermined distance away from the upper end of the back plate, and a locking portion that is provided on the lower end side of the connection portion and extends to the bottom plate, the pair of fixing members being configured to support the back plates back to back,
A support device characterized in that when the connection portion of one of the fixing members is folded toward the other of the fixing members at the second fold line, the engaging portion of one of the fixing members is engaged with the bottom plate of the other of the fixing members. 2. The support device according to claim 1,
The other side edge of the back plate has an upper end that extends laterally to a position away from the upper end of the back plate by the predetermined distance, and has a pressing portion that presses downward the upper edge of the connection portion that is folded along the second fold line. The support according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the pair of fixing members has a protruding portion that protrudes from the back plate in a direction away from the bottom plate when the back plate is folded and erected by dividing the first fold line and forming a convex notch toward the back plate at the boundary between the bottom plate and the back plate,
A support device characterized in that, when the pair of fixing members are joined, the protruding ends of the protrusions abut against each other. The support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the bottom plate of the fixing member has a slit into which the locking portion is fitted,
A support device characterized in that the engaging portion has a convex portion that fits into the slit.

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