Sight and sound barrier
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, the sight and sound barriers of this invention have a flexible sheet of lightweight, resilient foam as a core. This core is covered by a fabric or other suitable covering to further enhance the acoustic properties and to make the walls attractive. In this embodiment the core of polyethylene, polystyrene, urethane, or a mosaic thereof, for example, is made flexible with alternating wall and hinge portions. In an alternate preferred embodiment, the barriers or panels are formed with mitered grooves to allow the panel to be bent into larger degree corners, such as 90 degrees in one direction or 180 degrees in the opposite direction.
1. A sight and sound barrier, comprising:
a. a lightweight, resilient foam core possessing cushioning and sound absorbing properties;
b. a plurality of grooves formed in said foam core to define alternating wall and hinge portions in said foam core;
c. a fabric cover with sound absorbing properties adhered to said foam core over said wall and hinge portions; and,
d. wherein said grooves have a depth substantially equal to the thickness of said foam core and encompass an angle of approximately ninety degrees;
e. wherein at least one of said grooves defines a substantially triangular cross-section; and,
f. at least one hinge insert having a cross-section substantially matching the at least one triangular groove cross-section.
2. The barrier of claim 1 , wherein the foam core has two wall sides, and wherein grooves are formed on both wall sides of said foam core.
3. The barrier of claim 2 , wherein said grooves on one side of the foam core are laterally offset from the grooves on the second side of the foam core.
4. The barrier of claim 2 , wherein said grooves are formed on alternating sides of said foam core along the length of said foam core.
5. The barrier of claim 1 , wherein said barrier defines a bottom edge to support the barrier on a support surface and at least one side edge perpendicular to the support surface, wherein said side edge is releasably attachable to a side edge of a second barrier.
6. The barrier of claim 5 , wherein said side edge is releasably attachable to a second barrier with magnets.
7. The barrier of claim 6 , wherein said magnets are embedded in at least one of said side edge and a side edge of the second barrier.
8. A sight and sound barrier, comprising:
a. a lightweight resilient foam core possessing cushioning and sound absorbing properties and having at least two sides;
b. at least one groove formed in one side of said foam core to define at least two wall portions and at least one hinge portion;
c. a fabric cover with sound absorbing properties adhered to said foam core over said wall and into said hinge portions;
d. wherein said groove encompasses an angle of approximately ninety degrees, allowing said wall portions to be bent into a corner of approximately ninety degrees in a first direction;
e. at least a second groove formed on an opposing side of said foam core from said one side, wherein said second groove encompasses an angle of approximately ninety degrees, allowing said wall portions to be bent into a corner of approximately ninety degrees in a second direction;
f. wherein said grooves have a depth substantially equal to the thickness of said foam core; and,
g. said cover adhered to a hinge portion on one side of the barrier touches the cover adhered to a wall portion on the opposing side of the barrier at the deepest point of the hinge portion.
9. The barrier of claim 8 wherein said groove allows said wall portions to be bent approximately 180 degrees in a second direction.
10. A sight and sound barrier, comprising:
a. a plurality of adjacent lightweight, resilient foam core sections possessing cushioning and sound absorbing properties defining a barrier with opposing sides and forming a plurality of discrete wall portions; and,
b. a plurality of hinge portions between said core sections;
c. a continuous fabric cover with sound absorbing properties on each side of said barrier along a portion adhered to and covering said wall portions and extending into and across said hinge portions;
d. wherein said hinge portions are formed as a plurality of grooves between adjacent wall portions and wherein each groove encompasses an angle of approximately ninety degrees; and,
e. wherein the cover in each hinge portion on one side of the barrier touches the cover on a wall portion on the opposing side of the barrier; and,
f. a glide mountable along an edge of said barrier;
g. wherein said barrier is releasably attachable to an elevated support surface with at least one pair of fasteners; wherein one fastener from said pair is recessed or embedded in said barrier and the matching fastener from said pair is recessed or embedded in the support surface.
11. The barrier of claim 10 , wherein said grooves are mitered, allowing said wall portions to be bent into a corner of approximately ninety degrees in a first direction.
12. The barrier of claim 11 , comprising a pair of fasteners mounted in at least one of said grooves, wherein said fasteners are selectively securable to hold said barrier in said corner shape.
13. The barrier of claim 10 , wherein said grooves allow said wall portions to be bent at an angle of approximately 180 degrees in a second direction.
14. The barrier of claim 13 , wherein the length of said barrier is stackable by folding selected grooves at 180 degrees in alternating directions.
15. The barrier of claim 10 , wherein at least one of said grooves defines a substantially triangular cross-section.
16. The barrier of claim 15 , comprising at least one hinge insert having a cross-section substantially matching the at least one triangular groove cross-section.
17. The barrier of claim 16 , wherein said hinge insert is selectively mountable in said at least one triangular cross-sectioned groove.
18. The barrier of claim 17 , wherein two inner sides of said hinge insert are selectively mountable to matching sides in said at least one triangular cross-sectioned groove with two matched pairs of fasteners, with one fastener of each pair mounted to one side of said hinge and the other fastener of each pair mounted to a matching side of said hinge insert.
19. The barrier of claim 18 , wherein the two fasteners mounted in said hinge are selectively securable to each other to hold said barrier in a corner shape.
20. The barrier of claim 18 , wherein said fasteners are chosen from hook and loop fasteners or magnets.
21. The barrier of claim 17 , wherein said hinge insert is selectively mountable in said at least one triangular groove with an outer face of said hinge insert substantially flush between adjacent wall portions.
22. The barrier of claim 10 , wherein said glide is formed of a base portion to be placed against said barrier edge and side walls to extend on opposing sides of said barrier.
23. The barrier of claim 22 , wherein said glide includes retaining tangs on said side walls, wherein said tangs are arranged to engage said barrier cover to inhibit removal of said glide.
24. The barrier of claim 23 , wherein said retaining tangs have an angled entry edge to facilitate placement of the guide on the barrier edge.
25. The barrier of claim 23 , wherein the side walls of said glide are biased to slant inward.
26. The barrier of claim 10 , wherein said at least on pair of fasteners are magnets.