Many office partitions include a plurality of wall panels that are arranged end to end so as to form a continuous wall.

Typically each wall panel is substantially rectangular in shape and includes two opposing side edge portions that are each constructed from an extruded piece of aluminium. The two extrusions are maintained in a spaced relationship by two opposing rectangularly shaped pieces of wood that have an outer surface which is covered with a fabric material.

The extrusions typically are adapted to interlock and are usually interconnected by sliding one panel relative to the other in both the lateral and longitudinal directions, or from above. As a consequence, the interlocked portions of each extrusion usually form a loose fit and wherein additional connecting members are usually inserted there between in order to prevent relative movement of the adjacent panels.

Apart from the problems associated with trying to align the two extrusions so that they may operatively engage with one another, the process of assembling the wall or partition is generally both time consuming and labour intensive.

Furthermore, in many instances two different extrusions, and accordingly two different dies, are required in order to construct each panel. As a consequence some care and skill is required when constructing the panels in order to ensure that the appropriate extrusions are located and correctly

orientated on each side of the panel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a demountable wall assembly that alleviates some of the problems of the prior art.

With the forgoing in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a demountable wall assembly, said wall assembly including: a first wall panel having a side edge portion that includes two laterally spaced abutments and two recesses each located behind a respective one of said abutments; a second wall panel having a side edge portion that includes two laterally spaced abutments and two recesses each located behind a respective one of said abutments, said first wall panel being arranged side by side said second wall panel such that said abutments of said first wall panel each abut against an opposing one of said abutments of said second wall panel, and a connecting member located between said first wall panel and said second wall panel, said connecting member having two opposing ends each having two tongues that extend outwardly therefrom and wherein each one of said tongues is locatable within a respective one of said recesses.

In another aspect this invention relates to a wall panel for use in the construction of a demountable wall assembly comprising a plurality of said interconnected wall panels, said wall panel including: two opposing side edge portions and wherein each side edge portion includes two laterally spaced abutments and two recesses each located behind a respective one of said abutments, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a respective tongue of a connecting member that is positioned between said abutments and between one of said edge portions and a similar edge portion of an adjacent wall panel.

The abutments may each include an abutment face.

The side edge portions are preferably symmetrical, or generally symmetrical, about a longitudinal axis.

In another aspect this invention resides broadly in an extrusion that may be used to form a side edge portion of a wall panel that itself may be arranged side by side and subsequently connected to a like wall panel so as to form a demountable wall assembly, said extrusion including : two laterally spaced abutments, and two recesses each located behind a respective one of said abutments, said recesses each having openings that face one another.

The abutments may each include an abutment face.

Preferably the extrusion is symmetrical, or generally symmetrical, about a longitudinal axis. Preferably the wall panel is generally rectangular in shape and wherein the same extrusion is used to form opposing side edge portions of the wall panel thereby obviating the need when constructing each panel that opposing extrusions be of opposite hand.

The opposite side of the extrusion to that which contains the abutment face may include one or more recesses that are adapted to receive an edge portion of a structural member, such as a sheet of wood or a pane of glass.

In another aspect, this invention relates to a connecting member for connecting together abutting edge portions of two adjacent wall panels, each one of said edge portions including two laterally spaced abutments and two recesses each located behind a respective one of said abutments, said connecting member including: two opposing ends each having two tongues that extend outwardly therefrom and wherein each one of said tongues is locatable within a respective one of said recesses.

In order that this invention may be more easily

understood and put into practical application, reference will now be made to the following drawings: FIG. la is a pictorial view of a demountable wall assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. lb is a pictorial view of two wall panels constructed in accordance with the present invention that may be connected together in order to make the demountable wall assembly illustrated in figure la; FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of an upper end portion of one of the wall panels illustrated in figure lb ; FIG. 3 is a plan view of an extrusion constructed in accordance with the present invention and which is used in the construction of the wall panels illustrated in figure lb ; FIG 4 is a plan view of a connecting member constructed in accordance with the present invention and which is used to connect together adjacent wall panels of the type illustrated in figure lb, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing two abutting extrusions, as illustrated in figure 3, that are retained in an abutting relationship by engagement with the connecting member illustrated in figure 4.

Figure 1 shows a demountable wall assembly 10 comprising a plurality of wall panels 11 that are arranged end to end in order to form a continuous wall. Each wall panel 11, as illustrated in figure lb, includes a top edge portion 12, a bottom edge portion 13 and two opposing side edge portions 14.

Each side edge portion 14 comprises an aluminium extrusion 15 that is symmetrical about a transverse axis 16 and which includes two opposing abutment walls 17 each having an external abutment face 17a from which there each extends a rearwardly directed stem 18 intermediate opposing ends

thereof.

Partway along the length of each stem 18, there is provided a flange 19 that points towards the interior of the extrusion 15 and which lies in a plane generally parallel to a plane containing the abutment walls 17. Each of the flanges 19 in combination with an opposing end portion 20 of an adjacent abutment wall 17 and the part of the interconnecting stem 18 that lies there between defines a respective connector recess 21. The inner face of the end portion 20 includes a semi-circular shaped groove 35 formed therein.

The two stems 18 are interconnected by an intermediate, "U"shaped, web 22 that separates two rearwardly opening channel shaped recesses 23.

The extrusion 15 also includes two side opening recesses 24.

Each wall panel 11 also includes two opposing, rectangularly shaped, sheets of wood 25 mounted intermediate aforesaid opposing extrusions 15, and wherein for decorative purposes the outer face of each said sheets of wood may be covered with a suitable fabric. Each sheet of wood 25 includes a top edge 26, a bottom edge 27, and two opposing side edges 28. The side edges 28 are each frictionally locatable within a respective recess 23, as shown, and are retained in place due to the application of a suitable adhesive.

Figure 4 shows an extruded aluminium connecting member 29 that is symmetrical about a transverse axis 30 and which includes two opposing end portions 31 that are interconnected by an intermediate web portion 32. Each end portion 31 includes two outwardly extending tongues 33. The inner face of each of the tongues 33 includes a semicircular groove 34 formed therein.

In use, two like wall panels 11, each having a connector 29 that has been attached to a diagonally opposing upper or

lower corner as shown in figure lb, may be used to construct a demountable wall 10 of the type illustrated in figure la. The connectors 29 are preferably secured to the extruded sections 15 that define the side edges 14 of each panel 11 by two screws 50 that threadably engage the walls of a respective flute formed by the cooperation of opposing grooves 34 and 35, as shown in figure lb.

In order to construct the wall 10, the two panels 11 are arranged side by side and, from a relatively small height, are slid together such that the abutment faces 17a of the opposing extrusions 15 abut and the end portions 31 are located with recesses 21 of the opposing extruded section 15, as illustrated in figure 5. Further, in order to prevent disassembly, the connector that is attached to one extruded section is then attached to the opposing extruded section using screws. 50 that each engage the walls of a respective flute formed by opposing grooves 34 and 35.

It will be appreciated that because symmetrical like extrusions 15 are used to form the two side edge portions of the wall panels 11, only one die is required, and wherein the construction of said panels and said wall assembly is much simpler.

It will also be appreciated that the above example is given as an illustration only of the present invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as herein before described and claimed herein.