Acoustic Panel With Drop Seal

Abstract

The invention(s) disclosed herein include various panels, components of panels, partitions, systems, and/or methods that increase acoustic insulation by mitigating sound (e.g., before it enters an area and/or a room). For example, some embodiments include a movable partition that is comprised of a plurality of panels that each hang from the ceiling, where the interface between two partitioned panels includes various gaskets, damping elements, and perforations that mitigate sound transmission from one side of the partition to the other. Other features of the partition (and panels that make up the partition) include upper and lower drops seals that in some embodiments have a labyrinth-like design and thus mitigate the flow of air between the partition and the ceiling/floor. Also, a membrane positioned inside the panel is disclosed that is especially effective at mitigating low frequency sound, for example.

1 . An acoustic panel that not only is moveable between a panel-ceiling interface and a floor via a connector that is able to be interfaced with the panel-ceiling interface, but also is able to prevent a sound wave—which is traveling from a first side of the acoustic panel, where it has a first decibel magnitude, towards a second side of the acoustic panel, by flowing between a drop seal and a body portion that are each associated with the acoustic panel—from fully reaching the second side of the acoustic panel, such that an absorbed sound wave portion of the sound wave does not reach the second side of the acoustic panel, and such that a mitigated sound wave portion of the sound wave does reach the second side of the acoustic panel and is of a second decibel magnitude, where the second decibel magnitude is less than the first decibel magnitude, including:
 (i) a body portion that is able to be connected to the connector, or at least modifiable to be so connected to the connector, such that the body portion via the connector is able to (a) hang from the panel-ceiling interface and (b) be moved along the panel-ceiling interface; 
 (ii) an outer cavity that is associated with the body portion, wherein the outer cavity has a first area that is between two outer cavity surfaces; 
 (iii) a drop seal that (a) has a second area, wherein the second area is between two drop seal surfaces, (b) is positionable to a retracted position such that at least a first portion of the drop seal is within the first area, and (c) is positionable to an extended position such that at least the first portion of drop seal is not only outside the first area but also is both (i) relatively closer to the floor and (ii) relatively further away from the body compared to when the drop seal is in the retracted position; 
 (iv) an insulation; 
 (v) when the drop seal is in the extended position: (a) there is an overlapped area, wherein the overlapped area is a portion of the first area and a portion of the second area that are essentially the same, (b) there is a non-overlapped portion of the first area, wherein the non-overlapped portion of the first area is not overlapped with—i.e., not essentially the same as—the second area, (c) the overlapped area is not sealed off from the non-overlapped portion of the first area, (d) the overlapped area has a magnitude that is less than another magnitude of the overlapped area when the drop seal is in the retracted position, and (e) the insulation at least partially resides within the overlapped area; and, 
 (vi) when the drop seal is in the extended position and the sound wave flows from the first side of the acoustic panel towards the second side of the acoustic panel between the drop seal the body portion: at least a portion of the sound wave will encounter the insulation and be at least partially absorbed by the insulation such that (a) the absorbed sound wave portion of the sound wave does not reach the second side of the acoustic panel and (b) the mitigated sound wave portion of the sound wave does reach the second side of the panel. 
 
     
     
         2 . The acoustic panel of  claim 1 , wherein the overlapped area and the non-overlapped portion of the first area are adjacent. 
     
     
         3 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position: there is a non-overlapped portion of the second area, wherein the non-overlapped portion of the second area is not overlapped with—i.e., not essentially the same as—the first area. 
     
     
         4 . The acoustic panel of  claim 3 , wherein (i) the overlapped area and the non-overlapped portion of the second area are adjacent, and (ii) when the drop seal is in the extended position the overlapped area is not sealed off from non-overlapped portion of the second area. 
     
     
         5 . The acoustic panel of  claim 4 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation at least partially resides within the non-overlapped portion of the second area. 
     
     
         6 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation at least partially resides within the non-overlapped portion of the first area. 
     
     
         7 . The acoustic panel of  claim 4 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation at least partially resides within (i) the non-overlapped portion of the second area and (ii) the non-overlapped portion of the first area. 
     
     
         8 . The acoustic panel of  claim 7 , wherein when the drop seal is in the retracted position: the insulation that at least partially resides within the non-overlapped portion of the second area when the drop seal is in the extended position becomes resided within the overlapped area. 
     
     
         9 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein the insulation is not moved by the drop seal when the drop seal moves from the retracted position to the extended position. 
     
     
         10 . The acoustic panel of  claim 9 , wherein the insulation moves when the drop seal moves from the retracted position to the extended position. 
     
     
         11 . The acoustic panel of  claim 10 , wherein the moving of the insulation when the drop seal moves from the retracted position to the extended position is an expanding of the insulation. 
     
     
         12 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the two drop seal surfaces are not connected within the first area. 
     
     
         13 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein: (i) the drop seal includes a third drop seal surface that is connected between the two drop seal surfaces, (ii) the insulation at least partially resides between the three drop seal surfaces, and (iii) when the drop seal is in the extended position the third drop seal surface is further away from the body portion than at least a portion of the two drop seal surfaces. 
     
     
         14 . The acoustic panel of  claim 13 , wherein the third drop seal surface is connected between a lower end of a first of the two drop seal surfaces and a lower end of a second of the two drop seal surfaces, wherein each of the two respective lower ends of the two drop seal surfaces are further away from the body portion when the drop seal is in the extended position than any other portion of the first of the two drop seal surfaces and any other portion of the second of the two drop seal surfaces. 
     
     
         15 . The acoustic panel of  claim 13 , wherein the third drop seal surface compresses the insulation when the drop seal is repositioned from the extended position to the retracted position. 
     
     
         16 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , further including an other cavity associated with the body portion, wherein:
 (i) the other cavity is at least partly within the outer cavity, wherein there is a third area that is between two other cavity surfaces of the other cavity;   (ii) when the drop seal is in the retracted position: the first portion of the drop seal is adjacent to the other cavity;   (iii) when the drop seal is in the extended position: (a) the first portion of the drop seal is not adjacent to the other cavity, (b) there is another overlapped area, wherein the other overlapped area is (1) a portion of the third area, (2) another portion of the first area, and (3) another portion of the second area that are all essentially the same—wherein the other portion of the second area is at least part of the overlapped area—(c) there is a non-overlapped portion of the third area that is not overlapped with—i.e., not essentially the same as—the second area, and (d) the other overlapped area has a magnitude that is less than another magnitude of the other overlapped area when the drop seal is in the retracted position; and,   (iv) the other overlapped area is adjacent to the non-overlapped portion of the third area.   
     
     
         17 . The acoustic panel of  claim 16 , wherein:
 (i) when the drop seal is in the extended position the other cavity is at least partially within the second area; and,   (ii) when the drop seal is in the retracted position the other cavity is at least partially within the second area.   
     
     
         18 . The acoustic panel of  claim 17 , wherein the insulation at least partially resides within the other cavity when the drop seal is in the retracted position. 
     
     
         19 . The acoustic panel of  claim 17 , wherein the insulation at least partially resides within the other cavity when the drop seal is in the extended position. 
     
     
         20 . The acoustic panel of  claim 17 , wherein the insulation at least partially resides (i) within the other cavity when the drop seal is in the retracted position and (ii) within the other cavity when the drop seal is in the extended position. 
     
     
         21 . The acoustic panel of  claim 20 , wherein (i) the drop seal includes a third drop seal surface of the drop seal, wherein the third drop seal surface is between the two drop seal surfaces, and (ii) when the drop seal is repositioned from the extended position to the retracted position the third drop seal surface pushes the insulation within the other cavity towards the body portion. 
     
     
         22 . The acoustic panel of  claim 21 , wherein when (a) the drop seal is in the extended position and (b) the sound wave flows from the first side of the acoustic panel towards the second side of the acoustic panel between the drop seal and the body portion, in order to have successfully reached the second side of the acoustic panel the mitigated sound wave portion of the sound wave must have traveled between all of the following in this order: (i) between a first of the two outer cavity surfaces and the drop seal, (ii) between the drop seal and a first of the two other cavity surfaces, (iii) the insulation, (iv) between the drop seal and a second of the two other cavity surfaces, and (v) between a second of the two outer cavity surfaces and the drop seal. 
     
     
         23 . The acoustic panel of  claim 17 , wherein when (a) the drop seal is in the extended position and (b) the sound wave flows from the first side of the acoustic panel towards the second side of the acoustic panel between the drop seal and the body portion, in order to have successfully reached the second side of the acoustic panel the mitigated sound wave portion of the sound wave must have traveled between all of the following in this order: (i) between a first of the two outer cavity surfaces and the drop seal, (ii) between the drop seal and a first of the two other cavity surfaces, (iii) the insulation, (iv) between the drop seal and a second of the two other cavity surfaces, and (v) between a second of the two outer cavity surfaces and the drop seal. 
     
     
         24 . The acoustic panel of  claim 23 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation does not reside within the non-overlapped portion of the second area. 
     
     
         25 . The acoustic panel of  claim 23 , wherein there is an additional overlapped area, which (i) is an additional portion of the second area that is overlapped with—i.e., essentially the same as—an additional portion of the first area but (ii) is not overlapped with—i.e., not essentially the same as—the third area. 
     
     
         26 . The acoustic panel of  claim 23 , wherein a first other cavity member and a second other cavity member are connected to an upper surface of the outer cavity—wherein the first of the two other cavity surfaces is associated with the first other cavity member, and wherein the second of the two other cavity surfaces is associated with the second other cavity member. 
     
     
         27 . The acoustic panel of  claim 2 , wherein (i) the drop seal has a shape of a semi-enclosed cavity, (ii) an aperture of the semi-enclosed cavity at least substantially faces the body portion when (a) the drop seal is in the retracted position and (b) the drop seal is in extended position, (iii) one of the two surfaces of the drop seal is associated with a first section of the semi-enclosed cavity, (iv) a second of the two surfaces of the drop seal is associated with a second section of the semi-enclosed cavity, (v) a third section of the semi-enclosed cavity is between the two sections of the semi-enclosed cavity, (vi) a gasket is associated with the third section of the drop seal, and (vii) the gasket is sandwiched between the third section of the drop seal and the floor when the drop seal is in the extended position. 
     
     
         28 . The acoustic panel of  claim 6 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation does not reside within the non-overlapped portion of the second area. 
     
     
         29 . The acoustic panel of  claim 5 , wherein when the drop seal is in the extended position the insulation does not reside within the non-overlapped portion of the first area.