Multi-positional foot for stud of cleanroom wall system

Abstract

A multi-positional foot is carried on the bottom of a cleanroom wall stud and is readily adjustable in a vertical direction(relative to the length of the stud) for contact with the upper surface of an access floor panel and for movement away from the panel to provide clearance for removing the panel(s) that lies beneath the foot. Moreover, the foot is constructed with rotatably joined members that are sized to swing into and out of engagement with a floor panel for respectively anchoring, the stud and permitting removal of that panel. The rotational mounting of the members that make up the foot, including a slotted toe member, permits great flexibility for using the foot to anchor wall studs to any of a wide variety of floor panel configurations.

1 . A multi-positional foot assembly for a stud, comprising: 
 a heel plate that is attachable to the stud;    a base plate rotatably mounted to the heel plate; and    a toe plate rotatably mounted to the base plate and having an opening therein.    
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the heel plate is attached to the stud by flanges that extend from the heel plate to slidably engage the stud.  
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2  wherein the flanges comprise a pair of flanges, and the assembly includes means for tightening and loosening the flanges against the stud.  
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 2  wherein the flanges are arranged to fit inside of the stud.  
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 2  wherein the base plate is configured to be selectively movable away from the heel plate and along the flanges but irremovable from the assembly when the flanges engage the stud.  
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 2  wherein the heel plate fits into a first aperture in the base plate thereby to provide the rotatable mounting of the base plate to the heel plate, the heel plate and base plate being configured so that the heel plate is unable to fit completely through the first aperture.  
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6  wherein the base plate is an oblong member having opposing ends, and wherein the first aperture is formed in one end of the base plate.  
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 7  wherein the first aperture is a circular shape and countersunk in an underside of the base plate and wherein the heel plate is circular and has a periphery that conforms to the shape of the first aperture.  
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the toe plate fits into a second aperture in the base plate thereby to provide the rotatable mounting of the toe plate to the base plate, the toe plate and base plate being configured so that the toe plate is unable to fit completely through the second aperture.  
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 9  wherein the base plate is an oblong member having opposing ends, and wherein the second aperture is formed in one end of the base plate.  
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 10  wherein the second aperture is a circular shape and countersunk in an upper surface of the of the base plate and wherein the toe plate is circular and has a periphery that conforms to the shape of the second aperture.  
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the heel plate, base plate, and toe plate are thin rigid plates having a common flat surface for engaging a floor panel when those plates are assembled together.  
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 12  wherein the heel plate is attached to the stud by flanges that extend from the heel plate to slidably engage the stud, the flanges being substantially perpendicular to the common flat surface.  
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the assembly is usable for connecting a stud to a floor panel that is perforated with holes having a perforations diameter, the opening in the heel plate being an elongated slot that is sized to have a width substantially matching the perforations diameter.  
     
     
         15 . A method of connecting a vertical stud to a floor panel, comprising the steps of: 
 rotatably mounting a first plate to a second plate that has flanges extending therefrom;    sliding into the flanges into an end of the stud;    fastening the flanges to the stud so that the first plate is on the floor panel; and    connecting the first plate to the floor panel at any preferred rotational position of the first plate relative to the second plate.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  including the step of providing in the first plate a slot for facilitating the connection of the first plate and the floor panel.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the providing step includes rotatably mounting in the first plate a circular plate that has a slot therein.  
     
     
         18 . A method of making an adjustable foot assembly for securing a stud to a floor panel, comprising the steps of: 
 connecting a pair of flanges to a flat surface of a circular heel plate;    rotatably mounting one end of an elongated, flat base plate to the heel plate;    forming an aperture in another end of the base plate; and    rotatably mounting in the aperture a flat toe plate having an opening therethrough, the heel plate, base plate, and toe plate having an underside in a common plane.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the step of rotatably mounting the one end of the base plate includes forming a countersunk aperture in the base plate and shaping the periphery of the heel plate to conform to the countersunk aperture and so that the heel plate cannot pass through the countersunk aperture.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  including the step of shaping the opening in the toe plate to be an elongated slot.