Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Collapsible article
Patent
1986-08-19
1990-08-21
Epstein, Henry F.
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Collapsible article
52665, 52668, 403345, 428139, E04B 274, F16B 1210, F16B 1220
Patent
active
049505084
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to articles such as items of furniture, packaging elements, lightweight partitions, and the like, comprised of planar parts assembled perpendicularly (or substantially perpendicularly, with the angles between them being unequal supplementary angles).
It has long been known to assemble two pieces each one of which has a slot of length one half that of the piece, whereby after the two slots are mutually engaged the pieces are fitted together from interlocking with their end faces being coplanar.
This trivial assembly is known as a rebated joint (in French, a "half timber joint"). When assembled, each slot is directed toward the solid member of the opposing piece, and the bottoms of the slots are essentially disposed against each other. Refinements of this basic arrangement are also known--in particular, arrangement of the assembled pieces at an angle other than a right angle.
There is also known (PCT OS No. WO-A-84/00024) an assembly which includes locking means for the pieces after they are engaged, such means being namely a rigid "key". The pieces themselves must be flexible so as to be able to elastically deform to enable the rigid key to be forcibly introduced.
Fr. Pat. No. 2,049,386 describes a construction assembly comprised of members having slots of complex shapes, enabling a "rebated joint" assembly with two different orientations, perpendicular or oblique. The slots in these members have openings in them which are disposed in planes parallel to the plane of the corresponding slot. These openings are intended to receive locking pins which are inserted by sliding. These pins must necessarily have a thickness less than that of the aforesaid assembled members, because the pins run parallel to the surface planes of the respective members.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,529,759 describes a structure comprised of crossbeams and of uprights assembled by means very similar to those described in Fr. Pt. No. 2,049,386 discussed supra except that only orthogonal assembly is provided for. What is important to note is that the slots of the classical "rebated joint" assembly according to the U.S. Pat. are associated with openings each of which accommodates a locking rod which must extend in a plane parallel to the surface planes of the respective assembled pieces.
The present invention is entirely different from these concepts, and notably it employs locking keys which may be esthetic as well as utilitarian, which keys are visible in the assembled condition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an article such as an item of furniture, which when unassembled comprises at least two pieces having rectilinear slots which engage one another (by mutual insertion) to achieve an orthogonal assembly of the said pieces; characterized in that the said pieces are in the form of panels which are relatively thin with respect the length and width of their two major faces, which panels have openings passing through them from one major face to the other, wherewith the said slots open out into said openings from one side of the latter, whereby after the engagement (mutual insertion) the slots are disposed beyond the openings which they have passed over lit., "they traverse", and each slot is disposed at right angles with and across a solid part of the other piece which solid part is disposed opposite to the slot on the said other piece, i.e. across the respective opening from said slot, and wherewith after said engagement the openings in the two panels are aligned and adapted to receive a locking key having the same height as the openings, which key is to extend in said openings and be supported on the two opposing sides of said openings which sides do not have slots in them, and which key is relatively rigid in its height dimension so as to prevent the slots from being moved back through the said openings, which movement would result in the disengagement of the slots and the separation of the pieces.
According to other characteristics i.e., refinements of the invention:
REFERENCES:
patent: 262448 (1882-08-01), Maunder
patent: 1529759 (1925-03-01), Widder
patent: 2680501 (1954-06-01), Cunningham
patent: 2844910 (1958-07-01), Korchak
patent: 2942318 (1960-06-01), Charles
patent: 3066436 (1962-12-01), Schuh
patent: 3498655 (1970-03-01), Arms et al.
patent: 3513534 (1970-05-01), Bradley et al.
patent: 3663717 (1972-05-01), Coster
patent: 3836217 (1974-09-01), Shiina
patent: 3901612 (1975-08-01), Canin
patent: 4119283 (1978-10-01), De Yarmin
patent: 4124958 (1978-11-01), Chiche
patent: 4345635 (1982-08-01), Solomon
patent: 4700915 (1987-10-01), Killian
Cherouse Thierry
Riviere Christophe
LandOfFree
Article, comprising rigid planar parts assembled at an angle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Article, comprising rigid planar parts assembled at an angle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Article, comprising rigid planar parts assembled at an angle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1676461